invention

American  

[in-ven-shuhn] / ɪnˈvɛn ʃən /

noun

1. the act of inventing.

2. U.S. Patent Law. a new, useful process, machine, improvement, etc., that did not exist previously and that is recognized as the product of some unique intuition or genius, as distinguished from ordinary mechanical skill or craftsmanship.

3. anything invented or devised.

4. the power or faculty of inventing, devising, or originating.

5. an act or instance of creating or producing by exercise of the imagination, especially in art, music, etc.

6. something fabricated, as a false statement.

7. Sociology. the creation of a new culture trait, pattern, etc.

8. Music. a short piece, contrapuntal in nature, generally based on one subject.

9. Rhetoric. (traditionally) one of the five steps in speech preparation, the process of choosing ideas appropriate to the subject, audience, and occasion.

10. Archaic. the act of finding.

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invention British  

/ ɪnˈvɛnʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of inventing

2. something that is invented

3. patent law the discovery or production of some new or improved process or machine that is both useful and is not obvious to persons skilled in the particular field

4. creative power or ability; inventive skill

5. euphemistic a fabrication; lie

6. (in traditional rhetoric) one of the five steps in preparing a speech or discourse: the process of finding suitable topics on which to talk or write

7. music a short piece consisting of two or three parts usually in imitative counterpoint

8. sociol the creation of a new cultural pattern or trait

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Other Word Forms

• inventional
  adjective
• inventionless
  adjective
• preinvention
  noun
• self-invention
  noun

Etymology

Origin of invention

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English invencio(u)n, from Latin inventiōn-, stem of inventiō “discovery, finding out”; equivalent to invent + -ion

Explanation

If you create a new device or process, it's called an invention. Many futuristic inventions from science fiction have come true, though no one has successfully invented a time machine. The act of inventing something is also referred to as invention. Your invention of an amazing new cookie might make you the hit of the bake sale. Something imagined or created in your mind can also be called an invention. The story of what happened to your homework may have been a complete invention, but it was probably entertaining for your teacher — especially the part about the alien abduction.

Example Sentences

And it turns out there’s an ingenious, inexpensive little invention that combines the pacifier with the medicine syringe.

From Slate • May 17, 2026

The reply might be right, but it might not capture the full story – such as Joseph Swan’s parallel invention at the same time as Edison’s.

From Salon • May 12, 2026

"It's an impressive case study in how necessity drives invention."

From BBC • May 6, 2026

“Discovery and invention remain the purview of the human mind and creative human genius,” Stassun said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2026

“I hate the old chess and the old chess scene,” he wrote to a friend, making reference to his invention of Fischer Random.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady