conceive
/kən'si:v/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To become pregnant; to form a new life in the womb: The biological process of fertilization and the beginning of pregnancy.
- To form or develop an idea, plan, or concept in the mind: To think of, imagine, or create something mentally.
- To hold an opinion or belief; to think or suppose: To regard or judge something in a particular way.
Usage and Examples
Biological Meaning (to become pregnant):
- After years of trying, they were overjoyed when she finally conceived.
- The doctor explained the factors that can affect a woman's ability to conceive.
Mental Creation (to form an idea):
- The architect conceived a bold new design for the city center.
- It's difficult to conceive of a world without the internet.
Holding a Belief (to think or suppose):
- I conceive this to be the most practical solution to our problem.
- He conceives of himself as an artist, not just a craftsman.
Advanced Usage
- "to conceive of (something)": To imagine or consider the possibility of something. This phrasal construction is very common when the object is an abstract idea or scenario.
- Can you conceive of a valid reason for such behavior?
- The theory was so radical that few scientists could conceive of it being true.
Variants and Related Words
- Conceivable (adj): Capable of being imagined or believed; plausible.
- It is conceivable that we will finish on time if nothing goes wrong.
- Conception (n):
- The moment or process of becoming pregnant.
- The forming of a concept or idea; the way something is perceived.
- Concept (n): An abstract idea or general notion.
- The basic concept behind the app is very simple.
Synonyms
- Envision: To picture mentally, especially future possibilities.
- Devise: To plan or invent by careful thought.
- Imagine: To form a mental image or idea of.
- Suppose: To assume or believe something to be the case.
Phrasal Verbs / Constructions
- Conceive of: As shown in 'Advanced Usage', this is the standard construction for the meaning of imagining or considering an idea.
- The project was more ambitious than anyone had conceived of.
Related Idioms
- "Hard to conceive": Difficult to imagine or believe.
- The scale of the disaster is hard to conceive.
- "Conceive a hatred/affection for": To begin to feel a strong emotion (like hate or love) for someone or something.
- She conceived a great affection for the stray dog.
Verb
- become pregnant; undergo conception
- She cannot conceive
- My daughter was conceived in Christmas Day
- judge or regard; look upon; judge
- I think he is very smart
- I believe her to be very smart
- I think that he is her boyfriend
- The racist conceives such people to be inferior
- have the idea for
- He conceived of a robot that would help paralyzed patients
- This library was well conceived