conceived; conceiving
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
Paul Theroux4
: to have as an opinion
I cannot conceive that he acted alone.
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
Harold Fromm
conceiver
noun
Synonyms
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
Before taking over the neuroscience beat, Stix, as Scientific American's special projects editor, oversaw the magazine's annual single-topic special issues, conceiving of and producing issues on Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, climate change and nanotechnology.
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2024
Kent conceived Time and Tide as a nod to Grand Central Oyster Bar, and Garcia is carrying out this vision of a fish-forward steakhouse with a menu designed around large-format seafood dishes.
—Kate Kassin, Bon Appétit, 30 Sep. 2024
Graced with an improbable combination of gobsmacking curves and an almost unbeatable track record spanning several decades, the GTO was conceived as a homologated, roadgoing version of the FIA’s touring car class—hence, the Gran Turismo Omologato descriptor.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 28 Sep. 2024
First established in 1984, the AAI Annual Awards Gala was conceived as a way for the institute to celebrate the achievements of Africans and the global African diaspora while building new narratives about the continent.
—Melissa Noel, Essence, 27 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for conceive 
Gary Stix, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2024
Kent conceived Time and Tide as a nod to Grand Central Oyster Bar, and Garcia is carrying out this vision of a fish-forward steakhouse with a menu designed around large-format seafood dishes.
—Kate Kassin, Bon Appétit, 30 Sep. 2024
Graced with an improbable combination of gobsmacking curves and an almost unbeatable track record spanning several decades, the GTO was conceived as a homologated, roadgoing version of the FIA’s touring car class—hence, the Gran Turismo Omologato descriptor.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 28 Sep. 2024
First established in 1984, the AAI Annual Awards Gala was conceived as a way for the institute to celebrate the achievements of Africans and the global African diaspora while building new narratives about the continent.
—Melissa Noel, Essence, 27 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for conceive
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conceive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near conceive
Cite this Entry
“Conceive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conceive. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
adjective
-ˈsē-və-bəl
conceivably
adverb
-blē
conceiver
noun
Medical Definition
conceive
verb
con·ceive
kən-ˈsēv
conceived; conceiving
: to become pregnant with (young)
: to become pregnant
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