invent
Americanverb (used with object)
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invents,
present (3rd person singular)
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invented,
past participle, past
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inventing
present participle
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to originate or create as a product of one's own ingenuity, experimentation, or contrivance.
to invent the telegraph.
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to produce or create with the imagination.
to invent a story.
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to make up or fabricate (something fictitious or false).
to invent excuses.
- Synonyms:
- concoct
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Archaic. to come upon; find.
verb
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to create or devise (new ideas, machines, etc)
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to make up (falsehoods); fabricate
Synonym Usage
See discover.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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outinventverb (used with object)
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preinventverb (used with object)
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inventableadjective
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inventibleadjective
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self-inventedadjective
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uninventedadjective
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well-inventedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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inventsimple
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inventssimple
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have inventedperfect
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has inventedperfect
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am inventingprogressive
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are inventingprogressive
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is inventingprogressive
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have been inventingperfect progressive
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has been inventingperfect progressive
Past
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inventedsimple
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had inventedperfect
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was inventingprogressive
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were inventingprogressive
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had been inventingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of invent
First recorded in 1425–75; back formation from late Middle English invented (past participle) “found, discovered,” from Latin invent(us) “encountered” (past participle of invenīre “to come upon, encounter, find,” from in- in- 2 + venīre “to come”; see also come) + -ed 2
Explanation
To invent is to create for the first time or make up. If you tell your friends that you invented the electric guitar, you are inventing a pretty unbelievable story about your past. When you think of the word invent, think of Thomas Alva Edison who invented the long-lasting light bulb, the motion picture camera, the phonograph, and the stock ticker. That's a lot of inventions! You couldn't invent a better story of American ingenuity, could you?
Vocabulary lists containing invent
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:
You also can’t invent what is now a lifelong bond.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
While the number of questions you can ask in a day is limited, the number of valuable things superintelligence can invent to help achieve your goals is unlimited.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Another clear argument against divine design is the recurrent laryngeal nerve, which takes a course that simply makes no sense to invent.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
“An officer could simply invent an accusation of criminality, leaving the green-card holder trapped in a bureaucratic twilight zone for years before they have a chance to rebut the accusation at a hearing,” Mark writes.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
For the new Writers, building on their ground, thinking them true, add to them, and invent, and draw other Experiments from them, that are falser then the Principles they insisted on.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
He’s made a movie about Odysseus’ remorse for inventing the Trojan horse without a crucial scene: the moment he invents it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
"Our work is a prime example of how evolution seldom invents things from scratch," says Daniel Kronauer, head of the Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior at Rockefeller.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026
In 2052, a celebrated neuroscientist invents an affordable panacea for suffering that’s soon embraced by the entire human race.
From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2025
“Let’s remember in 1896, when Baron Pierre de Coubertin invents the modern Olympiad, the line was about amateur versus professional,” says D’Souza, 40.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2025
Someone invents something and puts it to use.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
That you don’t want to be accepting fancy pens or, like, gorgeous gold earrings or an airplane, which wasn’t invented yet.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
It’s why our drama teacher invented an entirely new role for her in our spring musical, to showcase her generational comedic talent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Yes, that Lee Kum Kee, the ones that invented oyster sauce.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
In 1856 the British engineer Henry Bessemer invented a process for the mass-production of steel, and the material became cheap.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
“Frances Miranda Gonzagaga couldn’t have had any whatnots before she invented them. So you only know what she’s told you. In the beginning, she was alone.”
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
I’m kidding: Even under normal circumstances, giving private companies this much power is likely to incentivize inventing enemies to fight or drive unnecessary spending.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
While at Arsenal, Anelka claimed he was unhappy with the English media, whom he accused of inventing stories about him.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
The Lydians are widely credited with inventing coinage, and their ruler, King Croesus, became legendary for his immense wealth.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026
The company, founded over a century ago, is credited with inventing the pocket checkbook.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
Alexander Graham Bell, famous for inventing the telephone five years earlier, suggested using induction balance, with which he had worked while perfecting his invention.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
