conceptualize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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conceptualizesimple
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conceptualizessimple
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have conceptualizedperfect
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has conceptualizedperfect
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am conceptualizingprogressive
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are conceptualizingprogressive
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is conceptualizingprogressive
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have been conceptualizingperfect progressive
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has been conceptualizingperfect progressive
Past
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conceptualizedsimple
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had conceptualizedperfect
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was conceptualizingprogressive
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were conceptualizingprogressive
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had been conceptualizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of conceptualize
First recorded in 1875–80; conceptual + -ize
Explanation
If you have an idea for something, or if you understand something fully, you conceptualize it. You might conceptualize the plan for a big party, but find it hard to conceptualize exactly how the big bang worked. In conceptualize, you see the word concept which means an idea. Don't think of a simple idea though, like taking a walk. Imagine a complex concept involving many elements, so a little brain work is involved. When you conceptualize, you either create a concept or you grasp one. The idea of man landing on the moon was conceptualized hundreds of years before it was planned or achieved.
Vocabulary lists containing conceptualize
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.
McCardel found that the job required an ability to conceptualize problems in a way that bordered on the philosophical.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026
The day had suddenly become incredibly long, and I couldn’t conceptualize that eventually, it would end.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026
“For a lot of people watching beach volleyball for the first time, it’s really hard to conceptualize how wind, how deep the sand is, might affect play,” Newberry said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 12, 2025
The data may simply illustrate the ways in which younger individuals conceptualize what it takes to make a living.
From Salon • Dec. 4, 2024
But he couldn’t form words, couldn’t conceptualize this as a victory.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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.
