conception
Americannoun
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conceptions
plural
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the act of conceiving; the state of being conceived.
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fertilization; inception of pregnancy.
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She has some odd conceptions about life.
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something that is conceived.
That machine is the conception of a genius.
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origination; beginning.
The organization has been beset by problems from its conception.
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a sketch of something not actually existing.
an artist's conception of ancient Athens.
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the act or power of forming notions, ideas, or concepts.
noun
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something conceived; notion, idea, design, or plan
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the description under which someone considers something
her conception of freedom is wrong
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the fertilization of an ovum by a sperm in the Fallopian tube followed by implantation in the womb
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origin or beginning
from its conception the plan was a failure
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the act or power of forming notions; invention
Usage
What are other ways to say conception? A conception is a notion or idea that seems complete, individual, or somewhat intricate. Do you know when to use conception, thought, idea, and notion? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of conception
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English concepcion from Latin conceptiōn- (stem of conceptiō ), equivalent to Latin concept- ( see concept) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Conception means any idea or concept, or a sum of ideas and concepts. Your conception for designing the little girl's room with a princess theme was a hit. Her evil stepsisters are jealous. The noun conception can also mean a beginning — of anything in general, or of a pregnancy, specifically. August 15 marked the anniversary of the conception of your design business. Your parents told me their youngest child has been a holy terror since conception. So, do you get along with your older siblings?
Vocabulary lists containing conception
Franklin Roosevelt, "Four Freedoms" (1941)
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"Jane Eyre" -- Chapters I-IV
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Word Generation Weekly - Series 3
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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.
See Examples For:
Steinem would bring her coffee and bologna sandwiches—a desperate child’s conception of a nourishing meal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
The two have worked with the artist since 2009, and in previous presentations he approached the conception and installation as a kind of director.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
By the first 1,000 days, we mean the period from conception to a child’s second birthday.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
As they celebrate America’s 250th birthday, they are also contemplating the relevance of their orientation to the nation’s conception of itself.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
I had no conception of what saying yes to politics might mean for us later, once we’d added two children to the mix.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
A book published last month in the Netherlands reminds us how vast is the difference between the West’s conceptions of interest and Mr. Putin’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
But TV had never seen anything quite like the Krofft shows, with its Day-Glo aesthetic, crazy conceptions and combination of puppets, costume puppets and costumed human characters into a half-hour comedy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
These aspirations speak to customers’ greatest desires, their dreams for the future, and their conceptions of who they are and who they strive to be.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 27, 2026
Strategic conceptions are ripe to be overhauled in the heat of crisis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
Nazism and Lysenkoism were based on dramatically opposed conceptions of heredity—but the parallels between the two movements are striking.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
