conceive

verb

con·​ceive kən-ˈsēv 

conceived; conceiving

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

cleverly conceived teleplays

3

: to apprehend by reason or imagination : understand

unable to conceive his reasons

It is easy enough to conceive the notion that your island is a sort of fortress.

—Paul Theroux

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

It is hard to conceive of all the work that must have been involved in starting off from scratch.

—Harold Fromm

conceiver noun

Synonyms

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

Choose the Right Synonym for conceive

think, conceive, imagine, fancy, realize, envisage, envision mean to form an idea of.

think implies the entrance of an idea into one's mind with or without deliberate consideration or reflection.

I just thought of a good joke

conceive suggests the forming and bringing forth and usually developing of an idea, plan, or design.

conceived of a new marketing approach

imagine stresses a visualization.

imagine you're at the beach

fancy suggests an imagining often unrestrained by reality but spurred by desires.

fancied himself a super athlete

realize stresses a grasping of the significance of what is conceived or imagined.

realized the enormity of the task ahead

envisage and envision imply a conceiving or imagining that is especially clear or detailed.

envisaged a totally computerized operation

envisioned a cure for the disease

Examples of conceive in a Sentence

When the writer conceived this role, he had a specific actor in mind to play the part.

As conceived by the committee, the bill did not raise taxes.

a woman who has been unable to conceive

a woman who has been unable to conceive a child

Recent Examples on the Web

Meanwhile, Min and Chris’ closest friends, Kelly Marie Tran’s Angela, a research scientist, and Lily Gladstone’s Lee, an Indigenous community organizer, have been struggling to conceive a child; Lee has just found out that her second round of IVF has been unsuccessful. —Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 18 Apr. 2025

Set in Seattle, one couple, Lee (Lily Gladstone) and Angela (Kelly Marie Tran), run into some monetary hardships while trying to conceive via IVF treatments. —Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 18 Apr. 2025

Their initial plan was to conceive two kids and then look to adoption for their third, but their options narrowed after her cancer. —Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025

The 51-year-old conceived her only son through in vitro fertilization and recently opened up about her path to becoming a mom while co-hosting TODAY with Jenna & Friends on April 14. —Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 18 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French conceivre, from Latin concipere to take in, conceive, from com- + capere to take — more at heave entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for conceive

• achieve
• believe
• deceive
• naive
• perceive
• receive
• relieve
• reprieve
• retrieve
• breve
• cleave
• cleeve

Kids Definition

conceive

verb

con·​ceive kən-ˈsēv 

conceived; conceiving

1

: to become pregnant or pregnant with

conceive a child

2

a

: to take into the mind

conceived a liking for the singer

b

: to form an idea of : imagine

conceive a new design

3

: to have as an opinion : think

conceived of her as a genius

conceivable

-ˈsē-və-bəl

adjective

conceivably

-blē

adverb

conceiver noun

Medical Definition

conceive

verb

con·​ceive kən-ˈsēv 

conceived; conceiving

transitive verb

: to become pregnant with (young)

intransitive verb

: to become pregnant