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
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
That was Scorsese’s first politically pointed movie, conceived during Covid’s national insecurity.
—Armond White, National Review, 23 July 2025
Matt Shakman delivers the goods with an emphasis on character and story while still providing the most gorgeous visuals ever conceived for a MCU film.
—Michileen Martin, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 July 2025
The new space follows in the footsteps of the Etro Home location in Milan’s Brera district — first opened in 2014 — and was conceived in close collaboration with Oniro Group, which has been producing and distributing the Etro Home Interiors collection since 2017.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 15 July 2025
For oenophiles looking to go dry, Australia’s Non has developed its own proprietary approach, with 0-percent-alcohol recipes conceived from scratch to express certain wine-esque profiles.
—Air Mail, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for conceive
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Armond White, National Review, 23 July 2025
Matt Shakman delivers the goods with an emphasis on character and story while still providing the most gorgeous visuals ever conceived for a MCU film.
—Michileen Martin, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 July 2025
The new space follows in the footsteps of the Etro Home location in Milan’s Brera district — first opened in 2014 — and was conceived in close collaboration with Oniro Group, which has been producing and distributing the Etro Home Interiors collection since 2017.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 15 July 2025
For oenophiles looking to go dry, Australia’s Non has developed its own proprietary approach, with 0-percent-alcohol recipes conceived from scratch to express certain wine-esque profiles.
—Air Mail, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for conceive
Cite this Entry
“Conceive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conceive. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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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