From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishconceivecon‧ceive /kənˈsiːv/ ●●○ AWL verb 1 [intransitive, transitive] formalIMAGINE 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]INVENT 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]MB to become pregnant → conception fertility treatment for women who have difficulty conceiving→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
conceive• Ovulation prediction tests are not only for those having problems conceiving.• I don't believe an author could have conceived a more romantic first meeting.• Recognizing in Laz a kindred passion, I conceive a plan.• Ben and Tracy are hoping to conceive a second child soon.• She could not refuse him; and conceived again.• First results from the lambs born to the 76 ewes that conceived as a result of using frozen Est-a-Laine semen were satisfactory.• The female nude has been conceived as an expression of fundamental principles of order and design.• The painting is beautifully conceived in every way -- composition, colour and texture.• Probably conceived in utero, he first spoke these words to me when we were considering Yeats' epitaph.• Though our results need replication, this suggests that our results may be applicable to women attempting to conceive naturally.• The young Edvard Munch conceived of a radically new approach to his art.• "We wanted to make something new and original, '' said Colin Smith, the man who conceived the show.conceive of something/somebody as something• It has been suggested that it is tempting to conceive of morality as a guide to human conduct.• Originally I conceived of this book as a series of journeys to sacred places.• But she did not conceive of unmarried life as a solution.• In the cool light of this brighter day it was hard to conceive of it as a visitation of demons.• It was impossible to conceive of her as dead.• On the other hand, we have mental activity which enables us, second-by-second, to conceive of ourselves as mental entities.• He is unaware of the depths of her feelings and unable to conceive of himself as repulsive.• Nevertheless, to conceive of parents as utterly static in the child's psychological life is likely to distort the picture grossly.Origin conceive (1200-1300) Old French conceivre, from Latin concipere “to take in, conceive”, from com- ( → COM-) + capere “to take” 