invent

verb

in·​vent in-ˈvent How to pronounce invent (audio)
invented; inventing; invents

transitive verb

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
inventor noun
inventress noun

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 In 1982, Hopfield invented a way for computer programs to store and recall patterns, reminiscent of human memory, and three years later, Hinton devised a way for programs to detect patterns from a set of examples. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2024 In Megalopolis, Francis Ford Coppola’s polarizing box office flop, a futuristic development is the wild utopic imagining of Adam Driver’s protagonist Cesar Catilina, a controversial urbanist who’s invented a newfangled building material called Megalon. Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Oct. 2024 Goldwasser and Micali answered their own question with a resounding yes by inventing zero-knowledge proofs in a seminal 1985 paper (opens a new tab), co-authored with the University of Toronto computer scientist Charles Rackoff. Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024 Alexander Graham Bell didn’t invent the telephone with a bunch of accessibility features, after all. Steven Aquino, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for invent 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'invent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin inventus, past participle of invenire to come upon, find, from in- + venire to come — more at come

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of invent was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near invent

Cite this Entry

“Invent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invent. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

invent

verb
in·​vent in-ˈvent How to pronounce invent (audio)
1
: to think up : make up
invent an excuse
2
: to create or produce for the first time
invented a new game
inventor noun

Legal Definition

invent

transitive verb
in·​vent
: to create or produce for the first time
inventor noun

More from Merriam-Webster on invent

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