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conceive

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To conceive is to get pregnant, to coming up with a plan or to imagine something.

(verb)

An example of conceive is when a man and a woman create a child.
An example of conceive is when you come up with an idea for a new product.
An example of conceive is when you cannot imagine winning the lottery.

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See conceive in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb conceived, conceiving

to become pregnant with; cause to begin life
to form or develop in the mind
to hold as one's conviction or opinion; think; imagine
to understand; apprehend
to put in words; couch; express

Origin: ME conceiven < OFr conceveir < L concipere (pp. conceptus), to take in, receive < com-, together + capere, to take: see have

intransitive verb

to become pregnant
to form a concept or idea (of)

See conceive in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb con·ceived, con·ceiv·ing, con·ceives

verb, transitive

To become pregnant with (offspring).
To form or develop in the mind; devise: conceive a plan to increase profits.
To apprehend mentally; understand: couldn't conceive the meaning of that sentence.
To be of the opinion that; think: didn't conceive such a tragedy could occur.
To begin or originate in a specific way: a political movement conceived in the ferment of the 1960s.

verb, intransitive

To form or hold an idea: Ancient peoples conceived of the earth as flat.
To become pregnant.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English conceiven

Origin: , from Old French concevoir, conceiv-

Origin: , from Latin concipere

Origin: : com-, intensive pref.; see com-

Origin: + capere, to take; see kap- in Indo-European roots

.

Related Forms:

con·ceivˌa·bilˈi·ty, con·ceivˈa·ble·ness noun

con·ceivˈa·ble adjective

con·ceivˈa·bly adverb

con·ceivˈer noun

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