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 of conceive

• imagine
• envision
• see

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

But the most spectacular works are the 10- and 11-foot lengths of parchment that dramatize the way medieval architects conceived their spiritual ladders to heaven. —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Apr. 2026

Of the 220 keys, 57 are suites, many conceived with multigenerational travel in mind. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026

And nearly every component was conceived, machined, and assembled by Hazan himself. —Eric Hendrikx, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2026

The vision conceived by museum director and Chief Executive Michael Govan and architect Peter Zumthor is not perfect, and brings with it a modest set of frustrations, but as a whole, the installation registers as ravishing and bracingly fresh. —Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026

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