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 Trump is a climate change skeptic who once had claimed it’s a hoax that was invented by the Chinese. — Darlene Superville, BostonGlobe.com, "President Trump misses G-7 meeting on climate change," 26 Aug. 2019 If Hasbro is serious about women’s empowerment, perhaps the company could start by admitting that a woman invented Monopoly in the first place. — Mary Pilon, The New Yorker, "The Misplaced Feminism of Ms. Monopoly," 11 Sep. 2019 And in many cases, inventing at the nano scale means relying on indirect measurements—until now. — Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, "Crazy Powerful Optical Ruler Measures All the Way Down to the Nanoscale," 6 Sep. 2019 The rules being weakened, which dated from 2007 and the administration of President George W. Bush and slated to start in the new year, would have all but ended the era of the incandescent bulb invented more than a century ago. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc's TML: You're in for a treat, Cincinnati fans. Positive thoughts on Bengals, UC, Reds.," 5 Sep. 2019 But the very nature of David Makes Man both invents a doorway into something new and rebels against a genre of TV-making that has historically cast out the stories of black teen boys. — Wired, "David Makes Man Invents a Doorway to a New Kind of TV," 28 Aug. 2019 Trump spent the weekend re-inventing his international image, laying on spin and half-truths in equal measure. — Nic Robertson, CNN, "Macron shook up the G7 with his fancy diplomatic footwork," 26 Aug. 2019 And the version of beer cheese invented in Winchester, Kentucky is served cold. — Savannah Eadens, The Courier-Journal, "Beer + cheese. Everything you've ever wanted to know about the Kentucky concoction," 26 Aug. 2019 Probably the one that’s best known is the one about how Bootes, out of desperate poverty, invented a plow that could be pulled by oxen. — Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, "Sky Watch: The summer hunter begins his long goodbye," 25 Aug. 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.