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

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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

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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

Incurring national debt, which the country has done since its inception, can help Uncle Sam pay for necessary services and investments.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

Collectively, these observations have called into question the assumption eukaryotes have depended on oxygen since their inception.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026

The International team have only won the President's Cup once since its inception in 1994 and never on American soil.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

The program has generated more than $36 billion in revenue since its inception, and the money goes to support affordable housing, wildfire resilience, clean drinking water, the high-speed rail and other projects.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

Their role as records of artistic thought also makes drawings uniquely valuable to the art historian, for they help in documenting the evolution of a work from its inception to the finished piece.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

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

It was as though some transitory flashes of artistic power in the minds of prehistoric artists were struggling with an inability to give adequate expression to their inceptions.

From Engraving for Illustration Historical and Practical Notes by Joseph Kirkbride

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Related Words

• initiation
• outset

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