conceivecon‧ceive /kənˈsiːv/ ●●○ AWL verb 
Word Origin Examples
Many people can’t conceive of a dinner without meat or fish.conceive that He could not conceive that anything really serious could be worrying his friend.conceive what/why/how etc I can hardly conceive what it must be like here in winter.conceive of something/somebody as something Language may be conceived of as a process which arises from social interaction.2[transitive] to think of a new idea, plan etc and develop it in your mind → conception: Scientists first conceived the idea of the atomic bomb in the 1930s.► see thesaurus at invent3[intransitive, transitive] to become pregnant → conception: fertility treatment for women who have difficulty conceiving
Word OriginWORD ORIGINconceive
Verb TableOrigin:
1200-1300 Old French conceivre, from Latin concipere ‘to take in, conceive’, from com- ( ➔ COM-) + capere ‘to take’VERB TABLE
conceive
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | conceive |
| he, she, it | conceives | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | conceived |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have conceived |
| he, she, it | has conceived | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had conceived |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will conceive |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have conceived |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- "We wanted to make something new and original,'' said Colin Smith, the man who conceived the show.
- Ben and Tracy are hoping to conceive a second child soon.
- I don't believe an author could have conceived a more romantic first meeting.
- The painting is beautifully conceived in every way -- composition, colour and texture.
- The young Edvard Munch conceived of a radically new approach to his art.
- First results from the lambs born to the 76 ewes that conceived as a result of using frozen Est-a-Laine semen were satisfactory.
- Ovulation prediction tests are not only for those having problems conceiving.
- Probably conceived in utero, he first spoke these words to me when we were considering Yeats' epitaph.
- Recognizing in Laz a kindred passion, I conceive a plan.
- She could not refuse him; and conceived again.
- The female nude has been conceived as an expression of fundamental principles of order and design.
- Though our results need replication, this suggests that our results may be applicable to women attempting to conceive naturally.
THESAURUS► invent
Collocations to think of an idea for a new product, machine etc, and design it or make it: · The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell.· Who invented the Internet?
► create to make or design something new and original: · We decided to create the software ourselves.· For her latest book, she has created a whole new group of characters.
► think of something/think up something to produce a new idea, plan, method, excuse etc by thinking: · I’ve thought of an idea.· They’re always trying to think up new ways to improve efficiency.
► come up with something to produce a new idea, a way of dealing with something etc, especially a good one: · How did you come up with that idea?· Ellis came up with the solution to the problem immediately.
► make something up to invent a story, song, game, excuse etc: · My mother used to make up bedtime stories for us.· I didn’t want to go to the class, so I decided to make up an excuse.
► dream something up to think of an idea or plan, especially one that seems unusual or even crazy: · It can’t be easy dreaming up new advertisements all the time.· I wonder who dreamt up that idea!
► devise formal to invent a way of doing something, especially one that is clever or complicated: · This system was devised as a way of measuring students’ progress.
► conceive formal to think of a new idea, plan etc and develop it in your mind: · The project was originally conceived by a Dutch businessman two years ago.
Longman Language Activatorto have a picture or idea of something in your mind► imagine to think about something and form a picture or idea in your mind about it: · Try to imagine a room as big as a football field.imagine (that): · For a while she imagined that she was a rich woman, living in a beautiful house.imagine what/who/where: · From the description Janet gave in her letter it was easy to imagine what her new apartment was like.imagine doing something: · Just imagine having to spend the rest of your life in jail.imagine somebody doing something: · I can quite easily imagine you running your own business.can't imagine somebody doing something: · I can't imagine anyone wearing clothes that colour.
► visualize also visualise British to form a very clear picture of something or someone in your mind, especially in order to help you prepare to do something or help you to remember something clearly: · An architect can look at a drawing and visualize a three-dimensional shape.· David could still visualize Polly, even though he had not seen her for ten years.visualize where/what/how: · He closed his eyes, trying to visualize where he had put his watch.
► picture to have a clear picture of something or someone in your mind, especially because you are trying to imagine what it is like to do something or what someone looks like: · Can you picture it? Lying in the sun, sipping cocktails -- it would be paradise!picture something/somebody as: · I had never met Graham but I pictured him as a pale, thin young man wearing glasses.picture somebody doing something: · Miguel could still picture the children laughing and joking, and chasing each other around the garden.
► can see to have a clear picture of something you are thinking about in your mind, especially something pleasant or funny, or something you think is likely to happen: · I'm going to Corfu next week. I can see it all now -- sun, sand and sea!can see somebody doing something: · Jimmy's gone skiing for the first time. I can just see him coming home with a broken leg.
► form a picture to form an idea of something in your mind, using the information you have about it: · The Hubble Space Telescope allows astronomers to form a more accurate picture of our solar system.
► conceive of formal to imagine something happening or what a particular situation is like - use this especially in questions and negative statements: · It is difficult to conceive of a society in which nobody has to work.cannot conceive of something: · I don't know about you, but I cannot conceive of a home without electricity or water.
to think of a new idea, design, or name for something► invent to think of an idea for a new product, machine etc for the first time, and design it and make it: · Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.· Television was invented in the 1920s.· Theremin invented the weird electronic instrument that provided soundtracks to 1950s science-fiction movies.
► create to make something new in art, literature, fashion etc: · Agatha Christie created the character Hercule Poirot.· Mary Quant created a whole new look for women's clothes in the 1960s.
► come up with/think up informal to produce a new idea, name, method etc by thinking carefully about it: think up/come up with something: · See if you can come up with a better name for it.· We need to think up some new ideas for the Christmas show.think something up: · We don't just think this stuff up. It's the way good lawyers always operate.
► devise to invent a way of doing something, especially one that is clever and complicated: · The exercise programme was devised by a leading health expert.· Scientists have devised a test that shows who is most likely to get the disease.
► make up to invent something such as a story or song, usually without writing it down: make up something: · For Halloween, the children made up stories about wolves and witches.· When my mother was in a good mood, she would make up songs about us.make something up: · That's a good riddle. Did you make it up yourself?
► conceive formal to think of a new idea, plan, or piece of work and develop it in your mind, until it is ready to be used, made etc: · "We wanted to make something new and original,'' said Colin Smith, the man who conceived the show.· The painting is beautifully conceived in every way -- composition, colour and texture.conceive of: · The young Edvard Munch conceived of a radically new approach to his art.
► dream up to think of a plan, idea, method etc, especially one that other people think is strange or unlikely to succeed: dream up something: · Banks seem to spend a lot of time dreaming up ways to get more money from their customers.· The machine looked like it had been dreamed up by a surrealist painter.dream something up: · "It's too complicated for me," Polly whispered; "how do they dream these things up?"
► coin to invent a word or phrase: · The term "black hole" was coined in 1969 by the American scientist John Wheeler.· A Polish refugee coined the term "genocide" to describe attempts to kill an entire group of people.
WORD SETS► Biologyaerobic, adjectiveafterbirth, nounalgae, nounalimentary canal, nounamber, nounameba, nounamino acid, nounamoeba, nounanaconda, nounanaerobic, adjectiveandrogynous, adjectiveantibody, nounantigen, nounantitoxin, nounappendage, nounarm, nounarmour, nounasexual, adjectiveassimilation, nounatrophy, verbaviary, nounbacteria, nounbacteriology, nounbarnacle, nounbile, nounbinocular vision, nounbio-, prefixbiochemistry, nounbiodegradable, adjectivebiodiversity, nounbiohazard, nounbiological, adjectivebiological clock, nounbiology, nounbiomass, nounbiome, nounbiosphere, nounblind, nounbrain, nounbreathe, verbbreed, verbbreed, nounbreeding, nounbristle, nounbulb, nouncapsule, nouncarbohydrate, nouncarbon dioxide, nouncarnivore, nouncell, nouncellular, adjectivecellulose, nouncentral nervous system, nouncervical, adjectivecholesterol, nounchromosome, nouncirculation, nouncirculatory, adjectiveclass, nounclone, nouncold-blooded, adjectiveconceive, verbconch, nounconnective tissue, nouncopulate, verbcoral reef, nouncornea, nouncoronary, adjectivecorpuscle, nouncortex, nouncortisone, nouncowrie, nouncrab, nouncrawfish, nouncrayfish, nouncreature, nouncross, verbcrossbreed, nounculture, nouncytoplasm, noundecay, verbdecay, noundecompose, verbdefecate, verbdenizen, noundextrose, noundiaphragm, noundigest, verbdigestion, noundigestive, adjectiveDNA, noundorsal, adjectivedry rot, nounduct, noundwarf, noundwarf, adjectiveecological, adjectiveecology, nounecosystem, nounegg, nounejaculate, verbembryo, nounembryonic, adjectiveenzyme, nounepidermis, nounevolution, nounevolutionary, adjectiveexcrement, nounexcrescence, nounexcrete, verbexcretion, nounexhale, verbexoskeleton, nounextinction, nounfaeces, nounfamily, nounfang, nounfat, nounfatty acid, nounfauna, nounfeces, nounfeed, verbfemale, adjectivefemale, nounferment, verbferment, nounfertile, adjectivefertility, nounfertilize, verbfission, nounflank, nounflatulence, nounflesh, nounfleshy, adjectiveflightless, adjectiveflora, nounfoetal, adjectivefoetus, nounfoliage, nounfossil, nounfreak, nounfreshwater, adjectivefructose, noungamete, nounganglion, noungene, noungene pool, noungenera, genetic, adjectivegenetic code, noungenetic engineering, noungenetic fingerprinting, noungenetics, noungenome, noungenus, noungestation, noungland, nounglandular, adjectiveglucose, noungluten, noungonad, noungrass snake, noungrow, verbgrowth, nounhabitat, nounhaemoglobin, nounhearing, nounheart, nounhemisphere, nounherbivore, nounhereditary, adjectiveheredity, nounhermaphrodite, nounhibernate, verbhistamine, nounhoming, adjectivehormone, nounhost, nounimpregnate, verbimpulse, nounincubate, verbindigenous, adjectiveinfected, adjectiveinfertile, adjectiveinfest, verbingest, verbinhale, verbinseminate, verbinsensate, adjectiveinsulin, nounintegument, nounintercourse, nouninterferon, nounintestine, nouninvertebrate, nouninvoluntary, adjectiveiris, nounjaw, nounjelly, nounkidney, nounkrill, nounlactate, verblactation, nounlactic acid, nounleech, nounleg, nounlesser, adjectivelichen, nounlife, nounlife cycle, nounlife form, nounligament, nounlimb, nounlimpet, nounlipid, nounliver, nounliving fossil, nounlocomotion, nounlymph, nounlymph node, nounmale, adjectivemale, nounmammal, nounmandible, nounmate, nounmate, verbmembrane, nounmetabolism, nounmetabolize, verbmetamorphosis, nounmicrobe, nounmicrobiology, nounmicroorganism, nounmicroscopic, adjectivemigrate, verbmigratory, adjectivemiscarriage, nounmolar, nounmorphology, nounmotor, adjectivemould, nounmouth, nounmucous membrane, nounmucus, nounmulticellular, adjectivemuscle, nounmuscular, adjectivemutant, nounmutate, verbmutation, nounnatural history, nounnatural selection, nounnature, nounneck, nounnectar, nounnerve, nounnervous, adjectivenervous system, nounneural, adjectiveneuro-, prefixneurology, nounnode, nounnose, nounnostril, nounnucleic acid, nounnucleus, nounnutrient, nounnutriment, nounoesophagus, nounoestrogen, nounolfactory, adjectiveoptic, adjectiveorgan, nounorganic, adjectiveorganic chemistry, nounorganism, nounorifice, nounossify, verbosteo-, prefixoutgrowth, nounova, ovary, nounoverwinter, verboviduct, nounoviparous, adjectiveovulate, verbovum, nounparasite, nounpathogen, nounpedigree, nounpelvic, adjectivepelvis, nounpenile, adjectivepenis, nounpepsin, nounperiod, nounperspiration, nounperspire, verbphotosynthesis, nounphylum, nounpigment, nounpigmentation, nounplankton, nounplasma, nounpollinate, verbpostnatal, adjectivepregnancy, nounpregnant, adjectivepremature, adjectiveprenatal, adjectiveproduct, nounproliferation, nounpropagate, verbprotein, nounprotoplasm, nounprotozoan, nounpuberty, nounpulmonary, adjectivepulp, nounpulsation, nounputrefy, verbputrid, adjectivered blood cell, nounregurgitate, verbrenal, adjectivereproduce, verbreproduction, nounreproductive, adjectiverespiration, nounrespiratory, adjectiverespire, verbretina, nounroot, nounrot, verbrot, nounruff, nounsac, nounsaliva, nounsalivary gland, nounsalivate, verbsaltwater, adjectivescale, nounscallop, nounscaly, adjectivesebaceous, adjectivesecrete, verbsecretion, nounsemen, nounsense organ, nounsensory, adjectiveserum, nounsex, nounsex, verbsexless, adjectivesexual intercourse, nounsheath, nounshell, nounsibling, nounskeletal, adjectiveskeleton, nounskin, nounskull, nounspasm, nounspasmodic, adjectivespecies, nounspecimen, nounsperm, nounspiderweb, nounspinal cord, nounspine, nounspineless, adjectivestarch, nounstem cell, nounstimulate, verbstimulus, nounstrain, nounsubject, nounsubspecies, nounsucker, nounsucrose, nounsweat, verbsweat, nounsweat gland, nounsymbiosis, nounsystemic, adjectivetail, nountaxonomy, nounteeth, testosterone, nountest-tube baby, nountissue, nountrachea, nountube, noununicellular, adjectiveurethra, nounuric, adjectiveurinate, verburine, nounvariety, nounvector, nounvein, nounvenom, nounvenomous, adjectiveventricle, nounvertebra, nounvertebrate, nounvivisection, nounwarm-blooded, adjectivewean, verbwildlife, nounwindpipe, nounyolk, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► as
Word family· It was suggested above that the duty of care is best conceived as imposing essentially procedural standards.· As conceived by writer-director Victor Salva, our male protagonists are more symbolic than human.· Something informing these descriptions of Wilde and his art is a fear of degeneration as conceived by writers of the time.
► originally· That is not the way Alma Cogan originally conceived her lyric.
NOUN► child· They had loved each other, shared a life together, conceived a beautiful child together.· They conceive a child, marry and quickly divorce at the grandparents' behest.· If she were to conceive a child in these circumstances she would hardly believe that any part of it was hers.· The Clintons have neither conceived nor adopted a child since the birth of Chelsea 16 years ago.· Mary was to conceive a child without the usual help of the male.· It could lead to the poor of the world conceiving children and selling the foetuses to help the rich.
► idea· It was during this period that he conceived the idea of an airline devoted to small package shipments.· Y., which conceived the idea and grew the potatoes.· It is aimed at beginners with clear minds and no pre-conceived ideas about what writing is all about!· It was here that he first conceived the idea of being a peasant painter.· So we drove up the Llanberis Pass and on the way conceived the unoriginal compromise idea of a Snowdon Horseshoe circuit.
► plan· Recognizing in Laz a kindred passion, I conceive a plan.· To stop Tootle from going astray, the townspeople get together and conceive ofa clever plan, in which they all participate.
► process· Henceforth the whole cosmos or at least the whole solar system must be conceived as a process of constant historical change.· Jane Addams conceived of the process in terms of learning and democracy.
VERB► try· This leads to problems when I try to conceive of my own knowing, believing or thinking in behaviourist terms.· Married at 44, she tried to conceive naturally until going through menopause at age 46.· Although I did what I could to try to conceive a girl, I couldn't be sure that I had.· She placed another thick branch on the fire and tried to conceive a sensible agenda for the day.· Moore's method of isolation bids us try to conceive a sample of such education in entire isolation.
WORD FAMILYnounconceptionadjectiveconceivable ≠ inconceivableverbconceive
1[intransitive, transitive] formal to imagine a particular situation or to think about something in a particular way(cannot) conceive of (doing) something Many people can’t conceive of a dinner without meat or fish.conceive that He could not conceive that anything really serious could be worrying his friend.conceive what/why/how etc I can hardly conceive what it must be like here in winter.conceive of something/somebody as something Language may be conceived of as a process which arises from social interaction.2[transitive] to think of a new idea, plan etc and develop it in your mind → conception: Scientists first conceived the idea of the atomic bomb in the 1930s.► see thesaurus at invent3[intransitive, transitive] to become pregnant → conception: fertility treatment for women who have difficulty conceiving