invest

play

verb in·vest \ in-ˈvest \

Updated on: 26 Jul 2017

Definition of invest

transitive verb

[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 cover completely :envelop

3 :clothe, adorn

[Middle French investir, from Old Italian investire, from Latin, to surround]

:to surround with troops or ships so as to prevent escape or entry

5 :to endow with a quality :infuse

Recent Examples of invest from the Web

The jump was driven by two massive infrastructure projects, purchases of equipment fueled by a stronger ruble, as well as a law pushing retailers to invest in new cash registers – all of which are temporary.

— anna andrianova, Bloomberg.com, "What Jolted Russia's Investments Is About to Fizzle Out," 30 Aug. 2017
But the retirement systems — well aware of the unforeseen recessions of 2001-02 and 2008-10 — try to invest for solid returns in the longer run.

— tom loftus, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky Pension Crisis: Hey, the stock market is up. Doesn’t that help?," 29 Aug. 2017
Bobinski is helping bring the program up to par with its peers, investing around $4 million in new resources since Brohm was hired in December.

— mike carmin, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville vs. Purdue 2017 | Five things to know about Purdue," 28 Aug. 2017
Neil Senturia, a serial entrepreneur who invests in early-stage technology companies, writes weekly about entrepreneurship in San Diego.

— neil senturia, sandiegouniontribune.com, "How do CEOs say 'I'm sorry'?," 28 Aug. 2017
Even though Gopalrao was deeply invested in Joshee, this relationship was also marked with physical abuse, which Gopalrao seemed to have wielded to keep Joshee focused on her education.

— leila mcneill, Smithsonian, "This 19th Century Lady Doctor Helped Usher Indian Women Into Medicine," 24 Aug. 2017
The Obama Administration invested $84 million in the technology, and in a rare act of bipartisanship, one of those investments has been trumpeted by current Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "How Does Clean Coal Work?," 23 Aug. 2017
At the same time, the oil corporation invested millions in advertising campaigns that would call into question whether climate change was a threat to humans.

— joshua emerson smith, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Study finds ExxonMobil knew about climate change, raised doubts about dangers," 22 Aug. 2017
After investing in artificial-intelligence start-up DeepMind three years ago, the Tesla and SpaceX C.E.O. grew increasingly alarmed about how quickly the technology was advancing.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "“We Do Not Have Long”: Elon Musk Calls for a Global Ban on Killer Robots," 21 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'invest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of invest

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1534

See Words from the same year

invest

verb

Definition of invest

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

play \in-ˈve-stə-bəl\ adjective

—

investor

play \in-ˈve-stər\ noun

Recent Examples of invest from the Web

The jump was driven by two massive infrastructure projects, purchases of equipment fueled by a stronger ruble, as well as a law pushing retailers to invest in new cash registers – all of which are temporary.

— anna andrianova, Bloomberg.com, "What Jolted Russia's Investments Is About to Fizzle Out," 30 Aug. 2017
But the retirement systems — well aware of the unforeseen recessions of 2001-02 and 2008-10 — try to invest for solid returns in the longer run.

— tom loftus, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky Pension Crisis: Hey, the stock market is up. Doesn’t that help?," 29 Aug. 2017
Bobinski is helping bring the program up to par with its peers, investing around $4 million in new resources since Brohm was hired in December.

— mike carmin, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville vs. Purdue 2017 | Five things to know about Purdue," 28 Aug. 2017
Neil Senturia, a serial entrepreneur who invests in early-stage technology companies, writes weekly about entrepreneurship in San Diego.

— neil senturia, sandiegouniontribune.com, "How do CEOs say 'I'm sorry'?," 28 Aug. 2017
Even though Gopalrao was deeply invested in Joshee, this relationship was also marked with physical abuse, which Gopalrao seemed to have wielded to keep Joshee focused on her education.

— leila mcneill, Smithsonian, "This 19th Century Lady Doctor Helped Usher Indian Women Into Medicine," 24 Aug. 2017
The Obama Administration invested $84 million in the technology, and in a rare act of bipartisanship, one of those investments has been trumpeted by current Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "How Does Clean Coal Work?," 23 Aug. 2017
At the same time, the oil corporation invested millions in advertising campaigns that would call into question whether climate change was a threat to humans.

— joshua emerson smith, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Study finds ExxonMobil knew about climate change, raised doubts about dangers," 22 Aug. 2017
After investing in artificial-intelligence start-up DeepMind three years ago, the Tesla and SpaceX C.E.O. grew increasingly alarmed about how quickly the technology was advancing.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "“We Do Not Have Long”: Elon Musk Calls for a Global Ban on Killer Robots," 21 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of invest

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1613

See Words from the same year

Financial Definition of INVEST

invest

verb

What It Is

Investing is the strategic purchase or sale of assets in order to produce income or capital gains.

How It Works

Investing can involve the purchase or sale of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, interest-bearing accounts, land, derivatives, real estate, artwork, old comic books, jewelry or anything else an investor believes will produce income (usually in the form of interest or rents) or become worth more.

Why It Matters

The safety of the principal is of concern in any investing activity, although some investors are more risk tolerant than others and are thus more willing to lose some of their principal in return for the chance of generating a higher profit. The investor's ability to tolerate risk and the incremental return associated with increasing amounts of risk are two primary factors that distinguish types of investing and help determine appropriate investments for a given investor.

Source: Investing Answers

INVEST Defined for Kids

invest

play

verb in·vest \ in-ˈvest \

Definition of invest for Students

invested; investing

:to give power or authority to

invest

verb

Definition of invest for Students

invested; investing

1 :to put out money in order to gain profit

She invested in a business.

2 :to put out (as effort) in support of a usually worthy cause

We invested time in the project.

—

investor

\-ˈves-tər\ noun

Medical Dictionary

invest

play

transitive verb in·vest \ in-ˈvest \

medical Definition of invest

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

Law Dictionary

invest

play

transitive verb in·vest \ in-ˈvest \

legal Definition of invest

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

Origin and Etymology of invest

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

invest

verb

legal Definition of invest

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

Origin and Etymology of invest

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

Learn More about invest

See words that rhyme with invest Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for invest Spanish Central: Translation of invest Nglish: Translation of invest for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of invest for Arabic speakers

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