invention

[ in-ven-shuhn ]

/ ɪnˈvɛn ʃən /

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See synonyms for: invention / inventions on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

anything invented or devised.

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

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

something fabricated, as a false statement.

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

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

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

Archaic. the act of finding.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of invention

1300–50; Middle English invencio(u)n<Latin inventiōn- (stem of inventiō) a finding out, equivalent to invent(us) (see invent) + -iōn--ion

OTHER WORDS FROM invention

in·ven·tion·al, adjectivein·ven·tion·less, adjectivepre·in·ven·tion, nounself-in·ven·tion, noun

Words nearby invention

invective, inveigh, inveigle, invenit, invent, invention, inventive, inventor, inventory, invent the wheel, inveracity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use invention in a sentence

Yes, keyword or contextual-based advertising is an old tactic, I am not talking about the invention of the wheel.
Five great display and video advertising tactics to increase relevance and revenue in a cookie-less world|Anastasia-Yvoni Spiliopoulou|August 24, 2020|Search Engine Watch
From the earliest days of the crisis, the Institute’s alumni, labs, and companies have been reworking their research and inventions to meet these pressing challenges.
Tackling covid|Tate Ryan-Mosley|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Many useful inventions, he notes, combine existing technologies in such new ways.
COVID-19 victims could breathe easier with these innovations|Kathiann Kowalski|May 7, 2020|Science News For Students
Yet their work includes approaches common to the process of invention.
Tackling the novel coronavirus calls for novel ideas|Kathiann Kowalski|May 7, 2020|Science News For Students

So, for some people, invention is a way to reduce friction in their lives.
Honey, I Grew the Economy (Ep. 399)|Stephen J. Dubner|December 5, 2019|Freakonomics
No, the tools used are just old fashioned, and the images produced are drawings, hardly a new invention.
Blurred Lines at NY Sketchbook Museum|Daniel Genis|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The basic premise that Christians should expect to suffer and be persecuted is not an invention of Rev. Sproul.
All Aboard the USS Persecution Complex|Candida Moss, Joel Baden|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The maxim proved true: Necessity is the mother of invention.
Cheap Trick: Most Magicians Are Lazy Hacks|Rick Lax|August 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The invention of farming was the initial cause of wars that created peace.
War! What Is It Good For? A Lot|Nick Romeo|August 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The titles of two competing 16th-century world maps nicely capture the tension between reflection and invention.
The Million-Dollar Map Thief|Nick Romeo|July 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One of the simplest of these childish tricks is the invention of an excuse for not instantly obeying a command, as "Come here!"
Children's Ways|James Sully
Wordsworth has illustrated how an unwise and importunate demand for a reason from a child may drive him into invention.
Children's Ways|James Sully
Each new invention threw thousands of hand-workers out of employment.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
Dynamite, by the good fortune of invention, came to the revolutionary at the very moment when it was most wanted.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
This epoch-making invention, introduced in 1832, rendered possible extraordinary developments.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for invention

invention

/ (ɪnˈvɛnʃən) /

noun

the act or process of inventing

something that is invented

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

creative power or ability; inventive skill

euphemistic a fabrication; lie

(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

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

sociol the creation of a new cultural pattern or trait

Derived forms of invention

inventional, adjectiveinventionless, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

invention

Origin of invention

OTHER WORDS FROM invention

Words nearby invention

Words related to invention

How to use invention in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for invention

Derived forms of invention