invest
Americanverb (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)
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
Other Word Forms
- investable adjective
- investor noun
- noninvestor noun
- overinvest verb
- preinvest verb (used with object)
- reinvest verb (used with object)
- underinvest verb (used without object)
- underinvested adjective
- uninvested adjective
- well-invested adjective
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”; in- 2, vest
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.
With that decision, Hill and his wife went through the difficult transition of cutting their spending to save and invest about 50% of their income over the next decade — even after they had two children.
From MarketWatch
When Tehran shut down the internet to prevent people from organizing and information from leaking out, it activated a parallel internet network it had invested billions of dollars in building.
“I still think financials are good to invest in right here,” he said.
From MarketWatch
It released monthly data last week showing traders were heavily invested in large-cap tech names.
From Barron's
The local authority stresses it has invested about £280m in heritage projects across the city in the past dozen years or so.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
