Trivia Time

Which phrase refers to a concept that exists only in theory?

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concept

American  

[kon-sept] / ˈkɒn sɛpt /

noun

• concepts
  plural

1. a general notion or idea; conception.

2. an idea of something formed by mentally combining all its characteristics or particulars; a construct.

3. a directly conceived or intuited object of thought.

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adjective

1. functioning as a prototype or model of new product or innovation.

   a concept car,

   a concept phone.

verb (used with object)

1. Informal. to develop a concept of; conceive.

   He concepted and produced three films.

concept British  

/ ˈkɒnsɛpt /

noun

1. an idea, esp an abstract idea

   the concepts of biology

2. philosophy a general idea or notion that corresponds to some class of entities and that consists of the characteristic or essential features of the class

3. philosophy

   1. the conjunction of all the characteristic features of something

   2. a theoretical construct within some theory

   3. a directly intuited object of thought

   4. the meaning of a predicate

4. (modifier) (of a product, esp a car) created as an exercise to demonstrate the technical skills and imagination of the designers, and not intended for mass production or sale

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• concepts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of concept

First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin conceptum “something conceived,” originally neuter of conceptus “conceived,” past participle of concipere “to conceive,” equivalent to con- con- ( def. ) + -cipere, combining form of capere “to seize”

Explanation

A concept is a thought or idea. If you're redecorating your bedroom, you might want to start with a concept, such as "flower garden" or "outer space." It's a general idea about a thing or group of things, derived from specific instances or occurrences. It often applies to a theoretical idea in science: Einstein's contribution to the concept of relativity. Concept was borrowed from Late Latin conceptus, from Latin concipere "to take in, conceive, receive." A concept is an idea conceived in the mind. The original meaning of the verb conceive was to take sperm into the womb, and by a later extension of meaning, to take an idea into the mind.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

concept concepts

Bryant’s concept of franchising the show across different sports gave Manning the idea to do the same with “Peyton’s Places,” thereby creating spinoffs with his brother, Eli, John McEnroe, Sue Bird and others.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

Jaguar executive Rawdon Glover told you that the brand’s 2024 teaser video and concept car were just meant to establish a “conceptual world.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

In an interview with MarketWatch, Feng explained that Graham Capital introduced a profit-taking and stop-loss concept into their decision-making process, rather than slavishly applying what the market suggested.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

Two weeks later, Jaguar's denim-clad design chief Gerry McGovern took to a Miami stage to unveil a pair of radical concept cars, resplendent in Miami Pink and London Blue colour schemes.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

But I did not quite understand the concept.

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga

His thematic concepts and narrative red herrings rely on the viewer’s presence.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026

Similar concepts made a comeback during the financial crisis that began in 2007, except this time with large financial institutions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

Sadly, the $2,000 payment the 82-year-old mother made to her neighbor for clearing her garage is symptomatic of a lapse in judgment about the basic concepts of money, value and reasonableness, compounded by emotion.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026

They said first-year students are at times arriving in classrooms lacking basic math and reasoning skills and they have often resorted to teaching remedial middle-school math concepts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

An older school of historians and philosophers took this framework for granted, while a newer school has wanted to debunk or deconstruct the concepts rather than explain their significance and trace their origin.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• approach
• conception
• image
• notion
• perception
• theory
• thought
• view