Synonyms

invest

American

[in-vest] / ɪnˈvɛst /

verb (used with object)

to put (money) to use, by purchase or expenditure, in something offering potential profitable returns, as interest, income, or appreciation in value.
to use (money), as in accumulating something.

to invest large sums in books.
to use, give, or devote (time, talent, etc.), as for a purpose or to achieve something.

He invested a lot of time in cleaning up the neighborhood after the flood.
to furnish with power, authority, rank, etc..

The Constitution invests the president with the power of veto.
to furnish or endow with a power, right, etc.; vest.

Feudalism invested the lords with absolute authority over their vassals.
to endow with a quality or characteristic.

to invest a friend with every virtue.
to infuse or belong to, as a quality or characteristic.

Goodness invests his every action.
Metallurgy. to surround (a pattern) with an investment.
to provide with the insignia of office.
to install in an office or position.
to clothe, attire, or dress.
to cover, adorn, or envelop.

Spring invests the trees with leaves.
to surround (a place) with military forces or works so as to prevent approach or escape; besiege.

verb (used without object)

to invest money; make an investment.

to invest in oil stock.

invest British

/ ɪnˈvɛst /

verb

(often foll by in) to lay out (money or capital in an enterprise, esp by purchasing shares) with the expectation of profit
to devote (effort, resources, etc, to a project)
archaic (tr; often foll by in or with) to clothe or adorn (in some garment, esp the robes of an office)

to invest a king in the insignia of an emperor
to install formally or ceremoniously (in an official position, rank, etc)
(tr; foll by in or with) to place (power, authority, etc, in) or provide (with power or authority)

to invest new rights in the monarchy
(tr; usually passive; foll by in or with) to provide or endow (a person with qualities, characteristics, etc)

he was invested with great common sense
poetic to cover or adorn, as if with a coat or garment

when spring invests the trees with leaves
rare (tr) to surround with military forces; besiege
informal to purchase; buy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Conjugated Forms

Present

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Etymology

Origin of invest

First recorded in 1525–35; from Old Italian investire, from Medieval Latin investīre “to install, invest (money), surround, clothe in,” Latin: “to clothe, deck, adorn,” equivalent to in- prefix + vestīre “to clothe, dress,” derivative of vestis “clothes, garment”; see in- ², vest

Explanation

When you invest, you put time or money into something, hoping that there will be returns greater than what was originally put in. You commonly hear talk of investing money, but you can invest time in a project as well. You can invest your hopes or emotions in a person. The money, time, or hope is called the investment. Invest can also mean to endow with a power or quality. Laws invest police officers with abilities that regular citizens do not have. Invest originally meant to clothe. In fact, there is a room in some churches still called a vestry where priests get into their garb.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

invest invests invested investing

Keep calm and carry on working, if you can, and invest in your retirement.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 10, 2026

The Wall Street Journal reported in September that Exxon was closing in on a preliminary agreement to invest in a number of developed and undeveloped fields.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026

If DoorDash can apply its laser-focus on delivery experience to groceries and invest wisely in warehouses, it might be able to find a winning formula on speed and accuracy, too.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2026

After spending huge sums on the monsters, collector Ensito says he is now questioning how much time and money people invest in collections each time a new trend comes along.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026

We decided to get rooms at a hotel for about a month so we can figure things out, like how to buy stocks and invest wisely.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

“It invests the states with responsibility for the mechanics of congressional elections,” unless Congress adopts a different rule.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

"I think there's some dominoes could start falling our way if the NRL invests and we accept their investment," McDermott said just under two weeks ago.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

Bending Spoons stock soars as Berkshire Hathaway invests another $330 million in the digital media company.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Jeanne Jones, executive vice president of finance and strategy at Exelon, said her utility tries to identify “real growth that’s going to happen versus speculative growth” before it invests to build out the grid.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

She thinks we’ll be rich one day, but she never invests any money.

From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake

Some schools have invested in sealed pouches or secure lockers.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026

Each of those mayors invested vast sums of money and manpower and each of them made inroads.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026

I believe I understand the concern with remaining heavily invested in bond funds in the current environment, but I’d appreciate other perspectives.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

In 1998, he invested almost all of his savings—$35,000, he says—to build his first website.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

I thought often of my father and all he’d invested in us.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Some topics we’ve already decided on for future meetings include budgeting for travel, setting up workplace benefits and a portfolio show-and-tell to share our investing strategies.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 10, 2026

Savings and investing strategies, and breaking down the differences in retirement accounts, were especially popular.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 10, 2026

The company said it is also investing in its operations in Ohio, Alabama and Georgia to support those efforts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026

For years, Blackstone has been considered the gold standard in real-estate investing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026

In October 2001, he explained the concept in his letter to investors: “Ick investing means taking a special analytical interest in stocks that inspire a first reaction of ‘ick.’”

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023