as in to devise
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination
they invented an explanation for the broken vase that would satisfy their grandmother
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Recent Examples of invent
In the mid-20th century, egg coffee was invented as a creative way to bypass milk shortages of the time.
—
Arundhati Hazra, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Jan. 2026
Ironically, to deal with these difficulties, Virginia would have to both check facts and do some inventing of her own.
—Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2026
Since the arrival of the vaccine you co-invented, as well as another two years later, those rates have plummeted.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
The notion to force a team’s non-stars to win games wasn’t invented in Phoenix this week.
—Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for invent
Arundhati Hazra, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Jan. 2026
Ironically, to deal with these difficulties, Virginia would have to both check facts and do some inventing of her own.
—Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2026
Since the arrival of the vaccine you co-invented, as well as another two years later, those rates have plummeted.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
The notion to force a team’s non-stars to win games wasn’t invented in Phoenix this week.
—Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for invent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for invent
Verb
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Last summer, researchers devised a method to translate internal representations of sentences from one language model to another.—
Ben Brubaker,
Quanta Magazine,
7 Jan. 2026
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Of all the schemes that humans have devised to keep sea lions from gorging on the salmon of the Columbia River basin, none has worked for long.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The administration concocts a legal rationale for a foreign policy objective.—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
5 Jan. 2026
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Notably, the computers seem to have a knack for concocting bizarre physics experiments — designs that humans wouldn’t think of, which nevertheless work.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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In Santa Rosa, Cosmic Buildings is constructing Prasanna Vasudavan's new home.—
Kenny Choi,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Bedlore Mattress Topper The mattress topper is constructed using a bamboo fabric mix, which helps with breathability.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Invent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/invent. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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