invest

1 of 2

verb (1)

in·​vest in-ˈvest 

invested; investing; invests

transitive verb

1

: to commit (money) in order to earn a financial return

2

: to make use of for future benefits or advantages

invested her time wisely

3

: to involve or engage especially emotionally

were deeply invested in their children's lives

intransitive verb

: to make an investment

investable

in-ˈve-stə-bəl 

adjective

investor

in-ˈve-stər 

noun

invest

2 of 2

verb (2)

invested; investing; invests

transitive verb

1

[Medieval Latin investire, from Latin, to clothe]

a

: to array in the symbols of office or honor

b

: to furnish with power or authority

c

: to grant someone control or authority over : vest

2

: to endow with a quality : infuse

3

: to cover completely : envelop

4

: clothe, adorn

5

[Middle French investir, from Old Italian investire, from Latin, to surround] : to surround with troops or ships so as to prevent escape or entry

Synonyms

Verb (2)

• suffuse
• infuse
• imbue
• inoculate
• inculcate

Examples of invest in a Sentence

Verb (2)

invested the film with his own enthusiasm for the wonders of flight

a woman invested with the strong desire to make the world a better place

invested him with power of attorney

a fashion designer who has invested a number of the winners of the best actress award

the beloved actor was finally invested as a knight by the queen

the city was mercilessly invested for an entire year, but never fell

nightfall invested the land

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

These include not only making ends meet, but having enough breathing room to pay down debt, build emergency savings and invest for the future. —Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 19 July 2025

Venture capital firms often develop ethical investing theses: some won’t invest in gambling, smoking, or other industries that promote harmful behavior. —Cherie Brooke Luo, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025

Touré, however, stressed that Côte d’Ivoire had already been working on creating greater incentives for more Anglophone businesses to invest and trade with it even before Washington’s tariffs’ push. —Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 18 July 2025

Just weeks after Meta invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI and hired founder Alexandr Wang, the AI startup is laying off 200 full-time employees—about 14% of its workforce, according to CNBC. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 17 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Italian investire to clothe, invest money, from Latin, to clothe

Verb (2)

Latin investire to clothe, surround, from in- + vestis garment — more at wear

First Known Use

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Verb (2)

1696, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing invest

• co-invest
• invest as
• invest in

Rhymes for invest

• abreast
• accessed
• addressed
• appressed
• armrest
• arrest
• assessed
• attest
• backrest
• behest
• bequest
• caressed

Kids Definition

invest

1 of 2 verb

in·​vest in-ˈvest 

1

a

: install sense 1

b

: to furnish with power or authority

2

: to cover completely

3

: clothe sense 1a, adorn

4

: to surround with troops or ships : besiege

5

: to supply with a quality or characteristic

invest

2 of 2 verb

1

: to lay out money so as to return a profit

invest in bonds and real estate

2

: to expend for future benefits or advantages

invest time and effort in a project

3

: to involve or engage especially emotionally

were deeply invested in their children's lives

investor

-ˈves-tər 

noun

Medical Definition

invest

transitive verb

in·​vest in-ˈvest 

1

: to envelop or cover completely

the pleura invests the lung

2

: to endow with a quality or characteristic

the paranoid personality who invests the external world with his … ideas and feelings

—Structure & Meaning of Psychoanalysis

Legal Definition

invest

1 of 2 transitive verb

in·​vest in-ˈvest 

1

: to install in an office or position

2

a

: to furnish with or formally grant power or authority

b

: to grant someone control or authority over : vest

invest

2 of 2 verb

transitive verb

1

: to commit (money) in order to earn a financial return

2

: to make use of for future benefits or advantages

intransitive verb

: to commit funds or purchase something of intrinsic value for future gain : make an investment

—often used with in

investor noun

Etymology

Transitive verb

Medieval Latin investire, from Latin, to clothe, from in- in + vestis garment

Verb

Italian investire to clothe, invest money, from Latin, to clothe