innovation

noun in·no·va·tion \ ˌi-nə-ˈvā-shən \

|Updated on: 9 Jun 2018

Examples: innovation in a Sentence

Editor's Note: What is the difference between innovation and invention?

Definition of innovation

1 : the introduction of something new

2 : a new idea, method, or device : novelty

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innovational

play \ˌi-nə-ˈvā-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl\ adjective

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Examples of innovation in a Sentence

She is responsible for many innovations in her field.
the latest innovation in computer technology
Through technology and innovation, they found ways to get better results with less work.
the rapid pace of technological innovation

Recent Examples of innovation from the Web

The challenge for colleges and universities, private and public, is to find funding for innovation in such a constrained fiscal environment.

— New York Times, "What’s the Biggest Challenge for Colleges and Universities?," 5 June 2018
The new equipment also gives the brewery some freedom for additional innovation by using smaller tanks for small-batch beers or short-term batches that might be sold only in the taproom.

— kathy flanigan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Third Space Brewing adds more equipment and expects to double its beer production," 4 June 2018
But global sales are providing a strong foundation for innovation, rising more than 160 percent over the past five years, to 170,000 units expected to be sold in 2018, vs. 66,000 sold in 2014.

— Fortune, "Alfa Romeo Is Planning 700-Horsepower 8C Supercar to Challenge Porsche, Ferrari," 2 June 2018
Her latest songwriting collaborators — including Max Martin and Shellback — have proven track records for commercial success and creating earworm-worthy pop anthems, but not for innovation or risk-taking.

— george varga, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Pink, 17 years into her solo career, bringing her 'Beautiful Trauma' and soaring show to San Diego," 22 May 2018
Green’s penchant for innovation—and micro-management—spilled out into building design.

— katherine martinelli, Smithsonian, "The Factory That Oreos Built," 21 May 2018
Once one of the highlights of the season and an incubator for innovation and on-track wizardry, the race has been more of a solution for insomnia in recent years.

— mike hembree, USA TODAY, "Hembree: Restrictor plates add competitive, gimmicky shine to NASCAR All-Star Race," 19 May 2018
After a short career at IBM, his drive for innovation led him to start his own software company at the dawn of the computer industry.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Gordon William Wacker," 13 May 2018
These dramatic shifts tend to lay new ground for fresh innovation, which is all that Uranus really wants.

— refinery29.com, "Your Horoscope This Week," 13 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'innovation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

What is the difference between innovation and invention?

The words innovation and invention overlap semantically but are really quite distinct.

Invention can refer to a type of musical composition, a falsehood, a discovery, or any product of the imagination. The sense of invention most likely to be confused with innovation is “a device, contrivance, or process originated after study and experiment,” usually something which has not previously been in existence.

Innovation, for its part, can refer to something new or to a change made to an existing product, idea, or field. One might say that the first telephone was an invention, the first cellular telephone either an invention or an innovation, and the first smartphone an innovation.