investment

American  

[in-vest-muhnt] / ɪnˈvɛst mənt /

noun

• investments
  plural

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.

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investment British  

/ 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

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investment Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• investments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of investment

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

Explanation

You are making an investment when you put money into a business with the hopes that the business will grow and bring you a profit. Many consider a college education to be one of the best investments you can make. Besides money, you can put time, effort or emotional support into something and also call it an investment. Volunteering in an organization requires an investment of time and energy. You may hear someone say, "We must make an investment in the future of our children," when he or she is pleading for fiscal responsibility, education, environmental protection or some other cause that will affect the success of future generations.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

investment investments

“The sharp rise in global bond yields reflects investors reassessing inflation,” said Mike Goosay, chief investment officer and global head of fixed income at Principal Asset Management.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

He secured investment to buy F&M Tool and Die, a company in Massachusetts that makes industrial parts.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Broadcom, a key beneficiary of AI data center investment, grew its revenue by 86% in the latest quarter.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

The probe was triggered when the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast aired an episode Sept. 3, 2025, detailing the contract Leonard received from Aspiration, a self-described “socially-conscious and sustainable banking services and investment products” firm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

The investor in home loans didn’t know how long his investment would last, only that he would get his money back when he least wanted it.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

The founder of private-stock investment firm Linqto has been charged with defrauding tens of thousands of investors to whom he marketed investments in shares of pre-IPO companies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

The bill would require the California Public Utilities Commission to consider reducing those utilities’ returns on equity for lower-risk investments, such as undergrounding power lines.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Most of my assets already have beneficiary or transfer-on-death designations: my bank accounts are payable on death, my car and home have transfer-on-death designations, and my investments have beneficiaries.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

Big tech companies are turning to the same bond markets to raise hundreds of billions of dollars for investments in AI data centres.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Brainy committees are continually evaluating the effectiveness and cost of doing various things in space, defense, energy, transportation, and the like, to give advice about prudent investments for the future.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Related Words

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