conceive

con·ceive

verb \kən-ˈsēv\

con·ceivedcon·ceiv·ing

Definition of CONCEIVE

transitive verb

1

a : to become pregnant with (young) <conceive a child> b : to cause to begin : originate <a project conceived by the company's founder>

2

a : to take into one's mind <conceive a prejudice> b : to form a conception of : imagine <a badly conceived design>

3

: to apprehend by reason or imagination : understand <unable to conceive his reasons>

4

: to have as an opinion <I cannot conceive that he acted alone>

intransitive verb

1

: to become pregnant

2

: to have a conception —usually used with of <conceives of death as emptiness>

— con·ceiv·er noun

Examples of CONCEIVE

1. When the writer conceived this role, he had a specific actor in mind to play the part.
2. As conceived by the committee, the bill did not raise taxes.
3. a woman who has been unable to conceive
4. a woman who has been unable to conceive a child

Origin of CONCEIVE

Middle English, from Anglo-French conceivre, from Latin concipere to take in, conceive, from com- + capere to take — more at heave

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to CONCEIVE

Synonyms: conceit [chiefly dialect], imagine, conjure (up), dream, envisage, envision, fancy, fantasize, fantasy, feature, ideate, image, picture, see, vision, visualize

Antonyms: miss

Related Words: daydream, stargaze; hallucinate; re-create, reflect, relive, reminisce; contemplate, meditate, muse, ponder, ruminate; concoct, fabricate, invent, make up, manufacture, plan, project; foresee, prefigure

Near Antonyms: misapprehend, misconceive, misconstrue, misinterpret, misperceive, misread, mistake, misunderstand

see all synonyms and antonyms

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See Synonym Discussion at think

Rhymes with CONCEIVE

Abib, achieve, aggrieve, believe, bereave, cap sleeve, deceive, French leave, frost heave, Hoccleve, inweave, khedive, motive, naive, perceive, pet peeve, plain weave, qui vive, receive, relieve, reprieve, retrieve, shirtsleeve, shore leave, sick leave, unreeve, unweave, upheave