concept
Americannoun
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a general notion or idea; conception.
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an idea of something formed by mentally combining all its characteristics or particulars; a construct.
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a directly conceived or intuited object of thought.
adjective
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functioning as a prototype or model of new product or innovation.
a concept car,
a concept phone.
verb (used with object)
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Informal. to develop a concept of; conceive.
He concepted and produced three films.
noun
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an idea, esp an abstract idea
the concepts of biology
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philosophy a general idea or notion that corresponds to some class of entities and that consists of the characteristic or essential features of the class
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philosophy
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the conjunction of all the characteristic features of something
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a theoretical construct within some theory
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a directly intuited object of thought
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the meaning of a predicate
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(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
Origin of concept
First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin conceptum “something conceived,” originally neuter of conceptus “conceived,” past participle of concipere “to conceive,” equivalent to con- con- ( def. ) + -cipere, combining form of capere “to seize”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
SERE’s governing concept emerged in response to how difficult it was for Americans taken prisoner during the Korean War.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
Designed as both a retail space and a cafe concept, the store will feature collaborations with local favorites like Courage Bagels, Bianca and Beverly Hills Juice.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
In the future, researchers hope to expand this concept by adding more complex logic functions.
From Science Daily • Apr. 2, 2026
Most importantly, the case demonstrated the concept of temporary allegiance.
From Slate • Apr. 2, 2026
The one in The Wiz is yellow, but same concept, right?
From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.