conceive
Americanverb (used with object)
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to form (a notion, opinion, purpose, etc.).
He conceived the project while he was on vacation.
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to form a notion or idea of; imagine.
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to hold as an opinion; think; believe.
I can't conceive that it would be of any use.
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to experience or form (a feeling).
to conceive a great love for music.
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to express, as in words.
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to become pregnant with.
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to beget.
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to begin, originate, or found (something) in a particular way (usually used in the passive).
a new nation conceived in liberty.
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Archaic. to understand; comprehend.
verb (used without object)
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to form an idea; think (usually followed byof ).
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to become pregnant.
verb
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to have an idea (of); imagine; think
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(tr; takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to hold as an opinion; believe
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(tr) to develop or form, esp in the mind
she conceived a passion for music
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to become pregnant with (young)
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rare (tr) to express in words
Related Words
See imagine.
Other Word Forms
- conceiver noun
- nonconceiving noun
- reconceive verb
Etymology
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”
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.
Understanding these seasonal patterns could improve fertility treatments, by optimising the timing of treatment and fertility testing to provide better guidance to couples trying to conceive.
From BBC
The completion of the 17-metre-high white cross that stands at the top of the Jesus Christ tower is part of a set of 18 towers originally conceived by Gaudi.
From Barron's
She believes their problems conceiving naturally were caused, or at least exacerbated, by the war: "all the stress and sleepless nights," Katerina says.
From BBC
The acquisition of the county beaches was first conceived by Marcia Hanscom, director of Los Angeles Coast Forever!, a nonprofit that has advocated for federal management of the fragile ecosystem for years.
From Los Angeles Times
"It's extremely striking and very exciting that the data seem to suggest that apes, in their minds, can conceive of things that are not there," Bastos said.
From Science Daily
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.
