conceive - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com

To conceive is to become pregnant or to come up with an idea. Both imply planting a seed for something, either a baby or a thought. "When his wife became pregnant, he could imagine the blue nursery right away, but she would conceive of something different: a pink one."

Latin roots for conceive (by way of French) point to "take into" either "the womb" or "the mind." An idea is sometimes called "a seed" or "the seed of an idea," and conceive means to produce something from inside the mind. Another expression is "pregnant with ideas" or "pregnant with possibilities," and someone who can "conceive of a thousand ways" to solve a problem or design something is full of new ideas.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: conceive

1	v	have the idea for
2	v	judge or regard; look upon; judge
3	v	become pregnant; undergo conception

FULL DEFINITIONS OF: conceive

1

v have the idea for

“He conceived of a robot that would help paralyzed patients”

“This library was well conceived”

Synonyms:: conceptualise, conceptualize, gestate

Types:: design
conceive or fashion in the mind; invent; preconceive
conceive beforehand; discover, find
make a discovery, make a new finding

Type of:: create by mental act, create mentally
create mentally and abstractly rather than with one's hands

2

v judge or regard; look upon; judge

“The racist conceives such people to be inferior”

Synonyms:: believe, consider, think

Types:: show 28 types...; hide 28 types...; hold
remain committed to; rethink
change one's mind; think
dispose the mind in a certain way; esteem, look on, look upon, regard as, repute, take to be, think of
look on as or consider; feel
have a feeling or perception about oneself in reaction to someone's behavior or attitude; consider, reckon, regard, see, view
deem to be; expect
consider reasonable or due; receive
regard favorably or with disapproval; reconsider
consider again; give new consideration to; usually with a view to changing; reconsider
consider again (a bill) that had been voted upon before, with a view to altering it; include
consider as part of something; backpedal
modify one's opinion, make it less strong; about-face
change one's mind and assume the opposite viewpoint; consider
regard or treat with consideration, respect, and esteem; call
consider or regard as being; like
feel about or towards; consider, evaluate, or regard; relativise, relativize
consider or treat as relative; identify
consider (oneself) as similar to somebody else; favor, favour
consider as the favorite; abstract
consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically; reify
consider an abstract concept to be real; idealise, idealize
consider or render as ideal; deem, hold, take for, view as
keep in mind or convey as a conviction or view; esteem, prise, prize, respect, value
regard highly; think much of; disesteem, disrespect
have little or no respect for; hold in contempt; make
consider as being; capitalise, capitalize
consider expenditures as capital assets rather than expenses; appreciate, prize, treasure, value
hold dear

Type of:: evaluate, judge, pass judgment
form a critical opinion of

3

v become pregnant; undergo conception

“She cannot conceive”

“My daughter was conceived in Christmas Day”

Types:: superfetate
conceive when a fetus is already present in the uterus

Type of:: change state, turn
undergo a transformation or a change of position or action