- 1[uncountable] the process of forming an idea or a plan The plan was brilliant in its conception but failed because of lack of money. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveclear, distinct, broad, … verb + conceptionhave, develop, challenge, … prepositionin conception phraseshave no conception of something See full entry
- 2[countable, uncountable] conception (of something) | conception (that…) an understanding or a belief of what something is or what something should be Marx’s conception of social justice He has no conception of how difficult life is if you're unemployed. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveclear, distinct, broad, … verb + conceptionhave, develop, challenge, … prepositionin conception phraseshave no conception of something See full entry
- 3[uncountable, countable] the process of an egg being fertilized inside a woman’s body so that she becomes pregnant the moment of conception A child is born about 40 weeks after conception takes place. Wordfinderpregnantantenatal, child, conception, fetus, maternity leave, miscarriage, morning sickness, pregnant, scan, womb Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveimmaculate verb + conceptionprevent conception + nounprobability, rate prepositionat conception phrasesthe moment of conception See full entry See related entries: Pregnancy see also conceive Word OriginMiddle English: via Old French from Latin conceptio(n-), from the verb concipere, from com- ‘together’ + capere ‘take’.Word Familyconceive verbconceivable adjective (≠inconceivable)conceivably adverbconcept nounconception nounconceptual adjectiveExtra examples Saussure began developing his conception of linguistics in 1916. Sex identity is fixed at conception. The Internet challenges traditional conceptions of copyright. We now have a clearer conception of the problem. You have no conception of what her life is like. liberal conceptions of the role of the state He has no conception of what it’s like to be unemployed. I had a rather romantic conception of life in the country. I had to reassess my conception that she was basically an honest person. Our conception of relationships is largely formed in early childhood. Our conceptions of our own society may not always be accurate.
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