investment

[in-vest-muhnt]

noun

1. the investing of money or capital in order to gain profitable returns, as interest, income, or appreciation in value.

2. a particular instance or mode of investing.

3. a thing invested in, as a business, a quantity of shares of stock, etc.

4. something that is invested; sum invested.

5. the act or fact of investing or state of being invested, as with a garment.

6. a devoting, using, or giving of time, talent, emotional energy, etc., as for a purpose or to achieve something.

   His investment in the project included more time than he cared to remember.

7. Biology.,  any covering, coating, outer layer, or integument, as of an animal or vegetable.

8. the act of investing with a quality, attribute, etc.

9. investiture with an office, dignity, or right.

10. a siege or blockade; the surrounding of a place with military forces or works, as in besieging.

11. Also called investment compound. Metallurgy.,  a refractory material applied in a plastic state to a pattern to make a mold.

12. Archaic.,  a garment or vestment.

investment

/ ɪnˈvɛstmənt /

noun

1. 1. the act of investing money

   2. the amount invested

   3. an enterprise, asset, etc, in which money is or can be invested

2. 1. the act of investing effort, resources, etc

   2. the amount invested

3. economics the amount by which the stock of capital (plant, machinery, materials, etc) in an enterprise or economy changes

4. biology the outer layer or covering of an organ, part, or organism

5. a less common word for investiture

6. the act of investing or state of being invested, as with an official robe, a specific quality, etc

7. rare,  the act of besieging with military forces, works, etc

investment

1. The purchase of property with the expectation that its value will increase over time.

Other Word Forms

• nonreinvestment noun
• overinvestment noun
• preinvestment noun
• proinvestment adjective
• reinvestment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of investment¹

First recorded in 1590–1600 investment for def. 12; 1605–15 investment for def. 1; invest + -ment

Example Sentences

The rise of artificial intelligence as well as growing investments in cloud computing are driving the data center construction boom.

From Los Angeles Times

Turning the tide on math performance will require bold goals and strong investments from states and strong public support, Lake said.

From Los Angeles Times

That estimate comes from the investment bank Morgan Stanley, which adds that roughly half of that sum will go on construction costs, and half on the pricey hardware supporting the AI revolution.

From BBC

He called for "tougher targets, automatic compensation, and proper investment to restore trust" with the rail industry and government collaborating.

From BBC

Private equity firm Silver Lake, which has investments in companies including Manchester City football club owners City Football Group, was revealed to also be involved in the deal.

From BBC

Related Words

• asset 
• contribution 
• expenditure 
• expense 
• finance 
• financing 
• grant 
• loan 
• money 
• property 
• purchase 
• stake 
• transaction 
• venture