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conceive

Definition of conceivenext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word conceive distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of conceive are envisage, envision, fancy, imagine, realize, and think. While all these words mean "to form an idea of," conceive suggests the forming and bringing forth and usually developing of an idea, plan, or design.

conceived of a new marketing approach

How do envisage and envision relate to one another, in the sense of conceive?

Both envisage and envision imply a conceiving or imagining that is especially clear or detailed.

envisaged a totally computerized operation
envisioned a cure for the disease

When could fancy be used to replace conceive?

Although the words fancy and conceive have much in common, fancy suggests an imagining often unrestrained by reality but spurred by desires.

fancied himself a super athlete

In what contexts can imagine take the place of conceive?

While in some cases nearly identical to conceive, imagine stresses a visualization.

imagine you're at the beach

When would realize be a good substitute for conceive?

The synonyms realize and conceive are sometimes interchangeable, but realize stresses a grasping of the significance of what is conceived or imagined.

realized the enormity of the task ahead

When can think be used instead of conceive?

In some situations, the words think and conceive are roughly equivalent. However, think implies the entrance of an idea into one's mind with or without deliberate consideration or reflection.

I just thought of a good joke

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of conceive That’s about the time when 2026 models were conceived and/or developed. Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 7 Jan. 2026 Why First Trimester Care Matters Health care providers recommend people start taking prenatal vitamins three to four months before trying to conceive so that their bodies are prepped for pregnancy and filled with the nutrients needed to support fetal development. Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 4 Jan. 2026 The timepiece, which retails for 8,400 euros, was conceived with optimal legibility in mind and its dial features a three-day date indicator, nodding to its 70-hour power reserve. Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 2 Jan. 2026 Commissioned by King João V in the 18th century, the library was conceived as a symbol of Portugal’s Enlightenment-era ambition. Navya Verma, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for conceive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conceive
Verb
  • One of those techniques involves an empty chair placed in front of a client, encouraging them to imagine and speak to someone connected to unresolved emotions.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 10 Jan. 2026
  • One way around this is to give the subject something else to imagine—another place, another conversation, a passing feeling—just long enough for the shutter, at one two-hundredth of a second, to catch something real.
    Dan Turello, New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Even though just three can alert to an emergency, many more are needed to understand what is behind those emergencies.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Jan. 2026
  • Those specifics aside, more stunningly, researchers discovered that these brave, early explorers of new worlds demonstrated a different way of moving than had been previously understood.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 11 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • In retrospect, thinking a guy who was the ninth WR in his NFL draft class would be fantasy football’s WR10 in his second year was a tad optimistic.
    Michael Salfino, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
  • But the actor didn't think the story of his character on all five of the Netflix series' seasons, Will Byers, and Will's longtime friend, Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), had been fully wrapped up going into the final episode.
    Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • In late 2020, Farr had a wildly vivid dream envisioning a black car driving through the Colombian mountains, en route to a monastery.
    Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 11 Jan. 2026
  • Wuthering Heights was always envisioned as a kind of fantastical fever dream—a contemporary take on a ’50s soundstage melodrama that gleefully mixes historical references with glitzy modernity.
    Radhika Seth, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Elordi played Frankenstein's monster — known as the Creature — in this adaptation of the story, and he was also nominated at the Globes for his performance.
    Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Other birds might have imprinted on humans and do not know how to hunt their own food.
    Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • His car was seen arriving shortly before the time the murders were believed to have been committed and left shortly after, according to court documents.
    Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 11 Jan. 2026
  • Investigators believe Moore first killed his father, 67-year-old Glenn Moore; his brother, 33-year-old Quinton Moore; and his uncle, 55-year-old Willie Ed Guines, at the family's mobile home in western Clay County.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The Carolina Panthers saw their season come to an end in a way that tugged on all sorts of emotions — after a game that was equal parts thrilling and blissful and heartbreaking.
    Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 11 Jan. 2026
  • His car was seen arriving shortly before the time the murders were believed to have been committed and left shortly after, according to court documents.
    Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 11 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • And only by comprehending the Star Eaters will Ro also comprehend his part in their potential destruction.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026
  • The sky served up no shortage of spectacle in 2025 —from lunar liaisons, solar prominences and fleeting meteor showers, to aurora and nebula scenes that unfold on a scale almost too massive for the human mind to comprehend.
    Anthony Wood, Space.com, 30 Dec. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Conceive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conceive. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on conceive

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