Trivia Time

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

Test Your Knowledge

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.

---

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

---

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

Arellano: What a concept by Hilton: build 10 new cities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

War is no longer an abstract concept for Australians who often feel removed from the problems facing other parts of the world.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

At first blush, that may seem like a trifling concept.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

Publications that introduced the concept of "difficult-to-treat" disease and the related treatment strategy have already been cited more than a thousand times by other researchers.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026

This concept was the first challenge to the Pythagorean point of view, and the brotherhood tried to keep it secret.

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

“New ways of valuing shares give some surprising answers…Clearly, something is going on that the old analytical concepts cannot account for.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 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

With further development, the technology could reach timescales relevant to emerging photonic concepts including time crystals and synthetic time-varying optical materials.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

I hadn’t studied math since long division, and the concepts were unfamiliar.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Related Words

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