conceive

[ kuhn-seev ]

/ kənˈsiv /

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See synonyms for: conceive / conceived / conceiving on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), con·ceived, con·ceiv·ing.

to form (a notion, opinion, purpose, etc.): He conceived the project while he was on vacation.

to form a notion or idea of; imagine.

to hold as an opinion; think; believe: I can't conceive that it would be of any use.

to experience or form (a feeling): to conceive a great love for music.

to express, as in words.

to become pregnant with.

to beget.

to begin, originate, or found (something) in a particular way (usually used in the passive): a new nation conceived in liberty.

Archaic. to understand; comprehend.

verb (used without object), con·ceived, con·ceiv·ing.

to form an idea; think (usually followed by of).

to become pregnant.

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Origin of conceive

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English from Anglo-French, Old French conceivre, from Latin concipere “to take fully, take in,” equivalent to con- con- + -cipere, combining form of capere “to take”

synonym study for conceive

2, 10. See imagine.

OTHER WORDS FROM conceive

con·ceiv·er, nounnon·con·ceiv·ing, noun, adjectivere·con·ceive, verb, re·con·ceived, re·con·ceiving.

Words nearby conceive

concede, conceded, conceit, conceited, conceivable, conceive, conceived, concelebrant, concelebrate, concelebration, concent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use conceive in a sentence

It was while taking one of Goldman’s theater classes that “Here I Am” was conceived.
An innovative Georgetown lab looks to theater to quell political fires|Peter Marks|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
In this radical new paradigm, robots are conceived and born rather than designed and manufactured.
We’re Teaching Robots to Evolve Autonomously—So They Can Adapt to Life Alone on Distant Planets|Emma Hart|February 4, 2021|Singularity Hub
As for people breastfeeding or hoping to get pregnant, Afshar says it’s totally okay to get the vaccine whenever it becomes available, and there’s no reason to wait to start trying to conceive or begin fertility treatments.
Pregnant people can—and should—get vaccinated against COVID-19|Sara Kiley Watson|February 3, 2021|Popular-Science
Originally conceived as a “small house”, it started morphing into a “huge palace,” Kolesnikov tells Navalny in the video.
The Inside Story of How Alexey Navalny Uncovered Putin's $1.3 Billion Palace|Madeline Roache|January 29, 2021|Time

However we conceive of “us,” we have ample grounds for humility.
Madeleine Albright: 'Us vs. Them' Thinking Is Tearing America Apart. But Here's Why I'm Still Hopeful About the Future|Madeleine Albright|January 15, 2021|Time
“The issue was how to conceive what the show was going to look and feel like,” says McKenzie.
Ben McKenzie’s Journey From Reluctant Teen Idol on ‘The O.C.’ to Sheriff of ‘Gotham’|Marlow Stern|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He even claims that hen partridges conceive just by smelling the scent of males.
Why Aristotle Deserves A Posthumous Nobel|Nick Romeo|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These military men find it hard to conceive that there might be no real policy at all.
Why Does the Free Syrian Army Hate Us?|Jamie Dettmer|October 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He also sounds better than the crossover children he helped conceive.
I'm Not Country or Pop. I'm Just Pure Garth Brooks.|David Masciotra|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Last year, as I began to conceive a novel, set in shadowy Istanbul, about the sale of a gray market antiquity worth millions.
Writing a Novel: Even Making It Up Requires Research|Ridley Pearson|July 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But these were to him things so obvious that he could not conceive any reasonable person doubting them.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son and his name shall be called Emmanuel.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
You shall conceive heat, you shall bring forth stubble: your breath as fire shall devour you.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
I conceive that the strictest union of affection is requisite to conjugal felicity.
Madame Roland, Makers of History|John S. C. Abbott
Let us enlarge our minds to grasp it, that we may, to some extent at least, conceive its greatness and appreciate its beauties.
Gospel Philosophy|J. H. Ward

British Dictionary definitions for conceive

conceive

/ (kənˈsiːv) /

verb

(when intr, foll by of; when tr, often takes a clause as object) to have an idea (of); imagine; think

(tr; takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to hold as an opinion; believe

(tr) to develop or form, esp in the mindshe conceived a passion for music

to become pregnant with (young)

(tr) rare to express in words

Derived forms of conceive

conceiver, noun

Word Origin for conceive

C13: from Old French conceivre, from Latin concipere to take in, from capere to take

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

conceive

Origin of conceive

synonym study for conceive

OTHER WORDS FROM conceive

Words nearby conceive

Words related to conceive

How to use conceive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for conceive

Derived forms of conceive

Word Origin for conceive