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Definition of invention
2 : productive imagination : inventiveness
3a : something invented: such as (1) : a product of the imagination; especially : a false conception (2) : a device, contrivance, or process originated after study and experimentb : a short keyboard composition featuring two- or three-part counterpoint
4 : the act or process of inventing
Explore Merriam-Webster
Examples of invention in a Sentence
The light bulb was one of the most important inventions of the 19th century.
The stories he told about his military service were just inventions.
His explanation was pure invention.
Parts of the movie were accurate, but much of it was invention.
the invention of a new product
the invention of a false story
an artist with exceptional powers of invention
Recent Examples of invention from the Web
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Instead of attending, the team will be video conferencing in while their robot competes against 163 other inventions.
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Like most good inventions, The Mash-up Americans was born out of necessity.
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Growing up, Tubaro remembers breaking apart home appliances to try to turn them into new inventions.
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This issue’s Big Question asks: What is the most underappreciated medical invention in history?
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In addition to projects, experiments and inventions, there will be special presentations such as the Katjes Magic Candy Factory, the Strawberry Swing Indie Craft Fair and the Maker Couture Fashion Show.
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The ink and watercolor drawings, in a palette of soft greens, blues and golds with flashes of candy-cane red, are each an intricate invention, full of delicate curls and sprightly shadows.
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The invention of the cardboard box changed everything.
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ShowerShroom, which launched last month, is a life-changing invention that captures all the hair and other debris that ends up in your shower drain.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'invention'. 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.
First Known Use of invention
14th century
INVENTION Defined for Kids
Law Dictionary
invention
Legal Definition of invention
: a device, process, or discovery under U.S. patent law that is new and useful, that reflects extraordinary creative ability or skill, and that makes a distinct and recognized contribution to and advancement of science; also : the act or process of creating such an invention — compare aggregation, combination, equivalent
Learn More about invention
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See words that rhyme with invention Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for invention Spanish Central: Translation of invention Nglish: Translation of invention for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of invention for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about invention
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