conceive

verb

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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 ofconceives 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 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 Expectful is a new meditation app designed for those who are pregnant, preparing to conceive, or navigating new parenthood. — Akili King, Vogue, "The Best Meditation Apps for a Moment of Calm in 2021," 4 Jan. 2021 Throw Covid-19 into the mix, and the obstacles to conceive grow even bigger. — Rosie Colosi, NBC News, "'Being alone was the hardest part': How couples are struggling to grow their families through IVF amid Covid-19," 22 Dec. 2020 One novel element of Shimon’s design, its creators say, is the additional use of phoneme data sets to conceive new lyrics. — Shi En Kim, Scientific American, "This Robot Can Rap—Really," 4 Dec. 2020 More than $1,300 along with 97 pounds of personal care items were collected for the local nonprofit organization, said Hanna Perez, who helped conceive of the event. — Pat Stoetzer, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Westminster Paws of Plenty fundraiser exceeds goal, supports those struggling through coronavirus pandemic," 2 Dec. 2020 For decades, Boeing had taken an incremental approach to the 737, choosing to update the plane rather than conceive a new model. — Niraj Chokshi, New York Times, "Boeing 737 Max Is Cleared by F.A.A. to Fly Again," 18 Nov. 2020 Through genetic analysis, the researchers even found that females are more likely to conceive the next generation with a male from another group when there is a high risk of inbreeding in their own group. — Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, "Female Warmongering Mongooses Lead Their Groups Into Battle to Mate With the Enemy," 11 Nov. 2020 People who are breastfeeding, pregnant or even trying to conceive are warned away from everything from caffeine to cold cuts for fear of miscarriages — or, in some cases, for fear of being blamed for their miscarriages. — Washington Post, "Why might women be less eager to get the coronavirus vaccine? An investigation.," 15 Dec. 2020 For anyone trying to conceive, the most important thing to do is engage in a discussion with their doctor about the risks and also keep in mind that more data is becoming available every week. — Fiorella Valdesolo, Vogue, "Pregnancy and the Vaccine: Experts Weigh in on Your Questions," 15 Dec. 2020

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.