invent

in·vent | \ in-ˈvent

invented; inventing; invents

Definition of invent

1 : to produce (something, such as a useful device or process) for the first time through the use of the imagination or of ingenious thinking and experiment

2 : to devise by thinking : fabricate

3 archaic : find, discover

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Examples of invent in a Sentence

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph. She is credited with inventing a procedure that has helped to save thousands of lives. She invented a clever excuse. We found out that he had invented the stories he told us about his military service.

Recent Examples on the Web While he's known for inventing some of the sickest moves in the game and rocking crowds with his signature 900, in a chat before Wednesday night's elimination, Hawk, 51, told Billboard that singing was one of the scariest tricks he's ever attempted. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, "'The Masked Singer' Kick-Flips Elephant to the Curb: 'I Watched an Episode and Said...Why Not?'," 19 Feb. 2020 The country has a long history of inventing bogus excuses to reject shipments of US farm goods, often as a hardball tactic to push for price reductions from anxious exporters. — Mark Wagoner For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, "Farmer: The trade war battered my business. Trump's Phase One deal with China isn't going to help," 6 Feb. 2020 Fred Morrison, credited with inventing the Frisbee, died in Monroe, Utah, at age 90. — Washington Post, "Today in History," 3 Feb. 2020 In 1960, Glaser won a Nobel Prize for inventing the bubble chamber, a device used to trace the path of subatomic particles. — Evan Macdonald, cleveland, "Indians ace Bob Feller, Progressive chairman Peter Lewis, author Harvey Pekar among notable Cleveland deaths from 2010-2014," 26 Dec. 2019 He is credited with inventing the first significant opt out, which let Rodriguez terminate his $252 million, 10-year deal after an MVP season in 2007. — Ronald Blum, The Denver Post, "Scott Boras’ billions: Baseball agent creates free-agent flurry," 18 Dec. 2019 Consequently, the group is tasked with inventing an artificial system on which to test it. — Amanda Klarsfeld, sun-sentinel.com, "Spanish River High team working on sepsis-detecting technology," 14 Nov. 2019 But Kearns lost a lifetime of inventing, and society lost what his inventive genius could have brought. — K.n.c., The Economist, "The value of freeing ideas, not just locking them up," 8 Nov. 2019 Maleficent: Mistress of Evil likely exists because of the previous film’s box-office success, but as a result, the new movie is tasked with the job of inventing a second chapter for a story that’s already finished. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Disney Delivers a Truly Bizarre Sleeping Beauty Sequel," 16 Oct. 2019

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