inception
Americannoun
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beginning; start; commencement.
- Synonyms:
- conception, root, source, outset, origin
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British.
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the act of graduating or earning a university degree, usually a master's or doctor's degree, especially at Cambridge University.
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the graduation ceremony; commencement.
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(in science fiction) the act of instilling an idea into someone's mind by entering their dreams.
noun
Etymology
Origin of inception
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English incepcion, from Latin inceptiōn- (stem of inceptiō ), equivalent to incept(us) “begun” ( see incept) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
The inception is the beginning. Since its inception, Wikipedia has been created by its users. Inception sounds like conception, but their meanings are distinct. Conception usually refers to the moment of becoming pregnant. Inception refers more to the beginning, to entering upon an undertaking. Inception implies the start of a specific thing like a campaign or a company. Subsequent events take place after the inception. At the moment of conception, most women are at the inception of motherhood.
Vocabulary lists containing inception
"The Hill We Climb," by Amanda Gorman
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I'm New Here...
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Mahatma Gandhi's "Quit India" Speech
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Around the same time Sanctuary Hill announced its inception, a large, bedraggled bird was spotted in Wisconsin.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
Issuance of international debt denominated in euro reached its highest level since the currency’s inception, the ECB said, and the euro became the leading currency in the green and sustainable international bond market.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
Precise investigations of decays like this are one of the primary goals of the LHCb experiment, and have been since its inception in 1994.
From Science Daily • May 26, 2026
Infleqtion is on its third CEO since its inception, but Dana Anderson—the professor who co-founded the company as ColdQuanta in 2007—remains on board as chief science officer.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
The inward person doth shrink and hesitate before the daunting inception of active deeds, wishing that some discouraging voice should intervene and forbid, so that no hazard might be made.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
