invention

noun in·ven·tion \ in-ˈven(t)-shən \

Definition of invention

1 :discovery, finding

2 :productive imagination :inventiveness

3 a :something invented: such as

(1) :a product of the imagination; especially :a false conception

(2) :a device, contrivance, or process originated after study and experiment

b :a short keyboard composition featuring two- or three-part counterpoint

4 :the act or process of inventing

See invention defined for English-language learners

See invention defined for kids

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

Earlier this year, two of XploR’s creators, Asim Majeed and Said Baadel, presented their invention at a global security conference.

— russ bynum, The Seattle Times, "Witness: Charleston gunman declared ‘There’s a new boss’," 25 Aug. 2017
Bill de Blasio is the product of self-invention: a mayor who might yet prove better at governing than at politics (and that rare liberal blessed by an economic boom).

— sam roberts, New York Times, "How’s de Blasio Doin’?," 23 Aug. 2017
At Williams, the enrichment courses included dual language immersion in Spanish and French, creative coding that focused on the design of computer games, and scientific inquiry where students created an invention and did other experiments.

— carole carlson, Post-Tribune, "Summer program is career boost to Gary students," 2 Aug. 2017
Since then a succession of inventions promising to overhaul schools has done no such thing.

— The Economist, "EdtechTechnology is transforming what happens when a child goes to school," 22 July 2017
The Chinese, who were historic world leaders for inventions such as paper and the compass, surely will discover soon that age 60 no longer is old.

— david g. molyneaux, miamiherald, "He had to lie about his age to ride a bicycle on Xian’s city wall," 20 July 2017
Tobacco families battle for dominance as the invention of the mechanized cigarette rolling machine sets to upend the traditional hand-rolling method.

— The Courier-Journal, "45+ fun things to do in Louisville July 20-26," 19 July 2017
This latest move is, in many ways, a case of classic Huffington re-invention.

— william d. cohan, The Hive, "Is Arianna Huffington Worse for Uber Than Travis Kalanick?," 10 July 2017
Just a few years ago saw the invention of Bitcoin, the world's first cryptocurrency, and today there are thousands of these cryptocurrencies being used by people all around the world including variants like Ethereum and Litecoin.

— avery thompson, Popular Mechanics, "How Cryptocurrencies Really Work," 10 July 2017

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 Synonyms

Synonyms

brainchild, coinage, concoction, contrivance, creation, innovation, wrinkle

Antonyms

fact, materiality, reality

Related Words

contraption, device, gadget, gizmo (also gismo), novelty; design, product, work; dream, fantasy (also phantasy), picture, vision; conception, imagining, origination

Near Antonyms

carbon copy, clone, copy, dupe, duplicate, duplication, facsimile, imitation, reduplication, replica, replication, reproduction

INVENTION Defined for Kids

invention

noun in·ven·tion \ in-ˈven-shən \

Definition of invention for Students

1 :an original device or process

2 :³lie

The story was just an invention.

3 :the act or process of inventing

4 :the ability to think of new ideas

He was a man of invention.

Law Dictionary

invention

noun in·ven·tion

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