Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "conception" []

  • Formation of a viable zygote by the union of the male sperm and female ovum; fertilization. (noun)
  • The entity formed by the union of the male sperm and female ovum; an embryo or zygote. (noun)
  • The ability to form or understand mental concepts and abstractions. (noun)
  • Something conceived in the mind; a concept, plan, design, idea, or thought. See Synonyms at idea. (noun)
  • Archaic A beginning; a start. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "conception" in a sentence
  • "And since the conception of form resolves itself into _motion_, _conception_, _purpose_ or _end_, so the Eternal"
  • "This "certain conception" is slowly being fleshed out here."
  • "The term conception does not mean the active or generative conception by her parents."