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

This is something that is very well-known in administrative law and in economics—this concept of agency capture or regulatory capture.

From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026

Initial testing for the NGC2 concept began in 2024, and officials say the Army is now starting to scale the technology across the force.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

The startup Pickle on Thursday joined the agent craze with a “personal AI you raise,” a concept popularized by Tamagotchis in the 1990s.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026

The concept uses superfluid helium, a form of helium with unusual quantum properties, to create a qubit that may be less sensitive to some of the disturbances that affect today's leading quantum computers.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

The concept of uncertainty pertains to scientists’ ability to describe the properties of a particle.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

In its eight episodes, “Lanterns” wrestled with an array of concepts some viewers loved and others … well, you know, fanboys and the internet.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026

“You’ve got the native language as a scaffold for these young kids who are just beginning to acquire complex concepts, who are just beginning to understand the world around them,” Pompa said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

At a time when Americans’ grasp of personal-finance concepts is on the decline and many students don’t receive training in financial literacy in school, providing support “doesn’t require writing a check,” he added.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

He stacks bullet points along the side of the whiteboard, scribbles concepts and facts we throw at him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

“Here we go,” Princeton says, as they begin a lesson on such concepts as parallel lines and complementary angles in the quiet coziness of the family’s suburban home ...

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

Related Words

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