Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense conceives, present participle conceiving, past tense, past participle conceived
1. verb
If you cannot conceiveof something, you cannot imagine it or believe it.
I just can't even conceive of that quantity of money. [VERB + of]
He was immensely ambitious but unable to conceive of winning power for himself. [VERB + of]
[Also VERB that]
2. verb
If you conceive something as a particular thing, you consider it to be that thing.
The ancients conceived the Earth as afloat in water. [VERB noun + as]
We conceive of the family as being in a constant state of change. [VERB + of]
Elvis conceived of himself as a ballad singer. [VERB + of]
3. verb
If you conceive a plan or idea, you think of it and work out how it can be done.
She had conceived the idea of a series of novels. [VERB noun]
He conceived of the first truly portable computer in 1968. [VERB + of]
4. verb
When a woman conceives, she becomes pregnant.
Women, he says, should give up alcohol before they plan to conceive. [VERB]
About one in six couples has difficulty conceiving. [VERB]
A mother who already has non-identical twins is more likely to conceive another setof twins. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: become pregnant, get pregnant, become impregnated More Synonyms of conceive
More Synonyms of conceive
conceive in British English
(kənˈsiːv)
verb
1. (whenintr, foll by of; when tr, often takes a clause as object)
to have an idea (of); imagine; think
2. (tr; takes a clause as object or an infinitive)
to hold as an opinion; believe
3. (transitive)
to develop or form, esp in the mind
she conceived a passion for music
4.
to become pregnant with (young)
5. (transitive) rare
to express in words
Derived forms
conceiver (conˈceiver)
noun
Word origin
C13: from Old French conceivre, from Latin concipere to take in, from capere to take
conceive in American English
(kənˈsiv)
verb transitiveWord forms: conˈceived or conˈceiving
1.
to become pregnant with; cause to begin life
2.
to form or develop in the mind
3.
to hold as one's conviction or opinion; think; imagine
4.
to understand; apprehend
5.
to put in words; couch; express
verb intransitive
6.
to become pregnant
7.
to form a concept or idea (of)
Word origin
ME conceiven < OFr conceveir < L concipere (pp. conceptus), to take in, receive < com-, together + capere, to take: see have
Examples of 'conceive' in a sentence
conceive
And guess where many of his ideas are conceived?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
One in eight women have difficulty conceiving in the first year of trying.
The Sun (2016)
The idea was conceived there and then.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He had conceived a plan on a national scale and he intended to see it through.
Brian Thompson DEVASTATING EDEN: The Search for Utopia in America (2004)
Or perhaps our difficulty in conceiving leads us into foster care.
Christianity Today (2000)
Daughters of older mums are likely to have difficulty conceiving only as they themselves get older.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Could my difficulty conceiving be caused by the cyst?
The Sun (2013)
About one in six couples has difficulty conceiving.
Westcott, Patsy Alternative Health Care for Women (1991)
When she conceived the idea of publishing them she borrowed the letters back and made exact copies to take to publishers.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Neither are you infertile, as you have already conceived twice in the last two years.
The Sun (2013)
It's a sad fact of life that one in six couples will have difficulty conceiving.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
If both women plan to conceive, they will have to decide which of them will go first.
Martin, April The Guide to Lesbian and Gay Parenting (1993)
They also recommend that you stop taking the pill or using the copper coil at least four to six months before planning to conceive.
de Jong, Eveline Alternative Health Care for Children (1989)
He applied for it because he had conceived the idea that his going home as a married man might be a good thing for him.
Frances Hodgson Burnett Emily Fox-Seton (1901)
It is intriguing to know how Peel conceived such an idea and then summoned the determination to deliver on it.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He is said to have first conceived the basic idea for the story in 1957 while surveying the guests on a lawn at a society wedding.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It was ill conceived and poorly planned, above all because the Allies had little knowledge of the terrain.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
But 300 years ago women having difficulty conceiving were advised to drink the spit from a hare's mouth.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The plans were conceived in haste by politicians trying to look tough in the wake of the banking crisis, in which hedge funds played virtually no role.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
No doubt it would have been better off there, but once conceived, the idea of the melodrama had overpowered both men.
Claire Harman ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON (2005)
Still, only once you've undertaken them will you realise just how much circumstances have changed since you first conceived those plans.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
conceive
British English: conceive VERB
to conceive of sth ¦ to be incapable of doing sth If you cannot conceive of something, you cannot imagine it or believe it.
I just can't even conceive of that quantity of money.
American English: conceive
Brazilian Portuguese: conceber
Chinese: 想像
European Spanish: concebir
French: concevoir
German: sich vorstellen
Italian: concepire
Japanese: 想像する
Korean: 생각하다
European Portuguese: conceber
Latin American Spanish: concebir
Chinese translation of 'conceive'
conceive
(kənˈsiːv)
vt
[child]怀(懷)上 (huáishang)
[idea, plan]构(構)想出 (gòuxiǎngchū)
vi
[woman, female animal]怀(懷)孕 (huáiyùn)
(= imagine)
I cannot conceive of ... 我不能想象 ... (wǒ bùnéng xiǎngxiàng)