top definitions
related content
examples
british

inception

[ in-sep-shuhn ]

/ ɪnˈsɛp ʃən /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR inception ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

beginning; start; commencement.

British.

the act of graduating or earning a university degree, usually a master's or doctor's degree, especially at Cambridge University.
the graduation ceremony; commencement.

(in science fiction) the act of instilling an idea into someone's mind by entering his or her dreams.

Origin of inception

1375–1425; late Middle English incepcion < Latin inceptiōn- (stem of inceptiō), equivalent to incept(us) begun (see incept) + -iōn- -ion

SYNONYMS FOR inception

1 origin, outset, source, root, conception.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR inception ON THESAURUS.COM

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH inception

concept conception inception

Words nearby inception

incentive, incentive pay, incentive travel, incentivize, incept, inception, inceptisol, inceptive, incertitude, incessant, incest

Example sentences from the Web for inception

And yet our country has redefined citizenship in some extraordinary ways since its inception.

The Progressive Case Against Birthright Citizenship |Keli Goff |December 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
And he has been involved in the Mind and Life Institute, the sponsor of the ISCS conference, from its inception.

What If Meditation Isn’t Good for You? |Jay Michaelson |November 1, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Since its inception, Hamas has had close ties with Iran, but relations soured when civil war broke out in Syria.

A Who’s Who of Iran’s Favorite Palestinian Terrorists |IranWire |August 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
With the incredible surge in popularity of online dating since its inception, countless niche communities have popped up.

Disabled Woman Tackles the Dating Site Trolls |Elizabeth Heideman |August 1, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

As Gordon explained: “MPAC has had a significant impact on the development of this project from its inception.”

For Muslims, Howard Gordon’s ‘Tyrant’ Is a Step in the Right Direction |Dean Obeidallah |June 24, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Why should a novel about the Stock Exchange 'owe its inception' to a Highland lassie?

The Right Stuff |Ian Hay
Such was the inception of a great public work which cost more than half a million sterling.

The Life of Napoleon I (Volumes, 1 and 2) |John Holland Rose
At its inception its whole capital was swallowed by the treasury.

The Continental Monthly, Vol. IV. October, 1863, No. IV. |Various
The Golden Rule in action has its inception in the love of man for his fellow-man.

The Reconstructed School |Francis B. Pearson
But the effect in England at the inception of the enterprise was electrical.

The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte |William Milligan Sloane

British Dictionary definitions for inception

inception

/ (ɪnˈsɛpʃən) /

noun

the beginning, as of a project or undertaking