concept

UK: /ˈkɒnsɛpt/ US: /ˈkɑnsɛpt/ ,(kon′sept)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

con•cept /ˈkɑnsɛpt/   n. [countable]

1. a general notion or idea;
   conception:
   no concept of right or wrong.

See -cep-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

con•cept  (kon′sept), n. 

1. a general notion or idea;
   conception.
2. an idea of something formed by mentally combining all its characteristics or particulars;
   a construct.
3. a directly conceived or intuited object of thought.

v.t. 

4. Informal Terms to develop a concept of;
   conceive:
   Experts pooled their talents to concept the new car.

• Latin conceptum something conceived, origin, originally neuter of conceptus (past participle of concipere), equivalent. to con- con- + cep- (variant stem of -cipere, combining form of capere to seize) + -tus past participle ending
• 1550–60

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

concept / ˈkɒnsɛpt/ noun

1. an idea, esp an abstract idea: the concepts of biology
2. a general idea or notion that corresponds to some class of entities and that consists of the characteristic or essential features of the class
3. (modifier) (of a product, esp a car) created as an exercise to demonstrate the technical skills and imagination of the designers, and not intended for mass production or sale

Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin conceptum something received or conceived, from concipere to take in, conceive