conceive

verb

con·ceive | \kən-ˈsēv

conceived; conceiving

Definition of conceive

transitive verb

1a : to become pregnant with (young) conceive a child

b : to cause to begin : originate a project conceived by the company's founder

2a : 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 emptinessIt is hard to conceive of all the work that must have been involved in starting off from scratch.— Harold Fromm

Other Words from conceive Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about conceive

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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

It was conceived by NBC Sports Bay Area/California last year and is now a craft-project reality, awarded to whichever team wins the series. — Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, "Giants, A’s enter Bay Bridge Series on the rise," 12 July 2018 It was conceived as a progressive experiment in rehabilitation. — Carol Marbin Miller, miamiherald, "A victim of vile abuse at Florida reform school, he spent his life fighting for justice," 10 July 2018 It was conceived not by a human but by a computer algorithm — or rather two algorithms. — New York Times, "High-Skilled White-Collar Work? Machines Can Do That, Too," 7 July 2018 Technology has aided many women’s ability to conceive later on in life than was possible for earlier generations, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy, or stress-free. — Katie Heaney, The Cut, "9 Women on Their Biggest Fears About Their Fertility," 30 May 2018 To continue reading this story, TRY IT NOW Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was in the Legislature when the maps were conceived in 2011, has argued that later tweaks cleared the maps of any problems. — Allie Morris, San Antonio Express-News, "Top court to take up racial question in Texas redistricting case," 22 Apr. 2018 As Paola tells it, she was conceived miraculously in Quito, Ecuador, in 1976, when her mother got pregnant for the third time, despite having had her tubes tied. — Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Virus Tropical': Film Review | Berlin 2018," 20 Feb. 2018 However, the whole concept seems like a crapshoot to me, the endeavors seemingly conceived in meetings by suits as often as instigated by musicians with mutual admiration for each other’s work. — Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader, "Minneapolis electronic-pop band Poliça collaborate with Berlin new-music ensemble Stargaze with polite results," 16 Feb. 2018 Believed to have first been conceived in the 8th century BC. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Oldest Known Section of 'The Odyssey' Found on Clay Tablet," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conceive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.