inception

American  

[in-sep-shuhn] / ɪnˈsɛp ʃən /

noun

inceptions plural

1. beginning; start; commencement.

   Synonyms:

   conception, root, source, outset, origin

2. British.

   1. the act of graduating or earning a university degree, usually a master's or doctor's degree, especially at Cambridge University.

   2. the graduation ceremony; commencement.

3. (in science fiction) the act of instilling an idea into someone's mind by entering their dreams.

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inception British  

/ ɪnˈsɛpʃən /

noun

1. the beginning, as of a project or undertaking

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• inceptions
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

inception inceptions

You can undertake a 351 exchange only at the inception of a fund, not after it is launched.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Shares in Versant fell nearly 40% in their first five weeks of trading but have since bounced back, although the stock remains down 21% since inception.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

For only the second time since their inception in 2021, a red extreme heat warning was issued by the Met Office this week across south-east Wales and southern England.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

It has been up between 5% and 11% in the other years since its inception.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

Within days, these yielded a commitment from the AEC that thermonuclear weapons development would play a part in Livermore’s program from its inception.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

While Fleiss has been the face of the “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette” and other spinoffs since the shows’ inceptions, trade publications report he hasn’t led day-to-day operations in around a decade.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 28, 2023

Open—has been intimately involved in both projects since their inceptions earlier in the decade.

From Golf Digest ● Feb. 3, 2018

This early phase, from its earliest inceptions in the 1960s until 2000, is what J.G. Palfrey, the former executive director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, calls the Open Internet.

From The Verge ● Apr. 13, 2016

Performance of the funds hasn’t kept up with the market, trailing their benchmarks since their inceptions.

From BusinessWeek ● Jan. 13, 2012

The inceptions of true genius are always essentially imitations.

From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 2, No 3, September, 1862 Devoted to Literature and National Policy. by Various

Related Words

• initiation
• outset