invest

[ in-vest ]

/ ɪnˈvɛst /

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See synonyms for: invest / invested / investing / investor on Thesaurus.com

verb (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)

to invest money; make an investment: to invest in oil stock.

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 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”; see in-², vest

OTHER WORDS FROM invest

in·ves·tor, nounnon·in·ves·tor, nouno·ver·in·vest, verbpre·in·vest, verb (used with object)

re·in·vest, verb (used with object)un·der·in·vest, verb (used without object)un·der·in·vest·ed, adjectiveun·in·vest·ed, adjectivewell-in·vest·ed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH invest

infect, infest, invest

Words nearby invest

invertible, invertible counterpoint, invertor, invert soap, invert sugar, invest, investable, investigable, investigate, investigation, investigative new drug

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

How to use invest in a sentence

Now, safety-conscious diners are just as invested in where the food is served.
Now that’s room service: What it’s like to check into a hotel just for dinner|Tom Sietsema|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
Officials at GWU, which has made budget cuts during the pandemic, did not say how much it will cost to invest in plastic alternatives and install water-bottle refill stations in every campus building.
George Washington University commits to single-use-plastic ban|Lauren Lumpkin|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
They faced similar opportunities to heighten first-party insights, in light of the third-party cookie phase out, and with brands looking to invest more in multicultural messaging and corporate social responsibility.
‘Proactive is the path’: Group Nine’s Geoff Schiller on his selling strategy|Kayleigh Barber|February 9, 2021|Digiday
This is in addition to the more than $800 million the company will have invested in associate wage increases from 2018 to 2020 — which are not one-time awards but lasting wage increases.
Grocery Store Workers Feel Forgotten in Vaccine Rollout|Jenny G. Zhang|February 8, 2021|Eater

The Big Three automaker has said it will invest $27 billion in electric vehicles and associated products from 2020 to 2025.
Tesla invests $1.5 billion in bitcoin, will start accepting it as payment|Taylor Telford|February 8, 2021|Washington Post
The idea to invest in their own hair company came from Miko after seeing how clients at their salon responded to her natural hair.
Goodbye To A Natural Hair Guru: Miss Jessie's Cofounder Titi Branch Dead At 45|Danielle Belton|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Others are here to invest in artists with promising reputations, and thus the possibility of future ROI.
Sneer and Clothing in Miami: Inside The $3 Billion Woodstock of Contemporary Art|Jay Michaelson|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We should invest in new leaders, new conversations and new collaborations.
The Hidden Link Between Women and War|Leith Greenslade|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I want to invest in the future and the Republicans are stuck in the past.
The Only Way for Democrats to Win|Jonathan Alter|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“San Miguel is a very small place and when someone shows up to invest lots of money, everyone hears about it,” he said.
Trading Dime Bags for Salvador Dali|Jason McGahan|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her clothes were good and new, but some desolate dressmaker had contrived to invest them with an air of hopeless dowdiness.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
All things that could give solemnity to an observance unite to invest this with a devout character.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
Those who can get enough to invest in an organ or a discordeon abandon the Bible business, which is not lucrative.
Friend Mac Donald|Max O'Rell
I suppose he's after your father again to sell his farm and invest the proceeds in the Indianapolis store.
A Forest Hearth: A Romance of Indiana in the Thirties|Charles Major
The Pope wished to make Wolfe a bishop, and to invest him with all the pomp proper to a nuncio.
Ireland Under the Tudors, Vol. II (of 3)|Richard Bagwell

British Dictionary definitions for invest

invest

/ (ɪnˈvɛst) /

verb

(often foll by in) to lay out (money or capital in an enterprise, esp by purchasing shares) with the expectation of profit

(tr often foll by in) to devote (effort, resources, etc, to a project)

(tr; often foll by in or with) mainly archaic to clothe or adorn (in some garment, esp the robes of an office)to invest a king in the insignia of an emperor

(tr often foll by in) 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

(tr foll by with) usually poetic to cover or adorn, as if with a coat or garmentwhen spring invests the trees with leaves

(tr) rare to surround with military forces; besiege

(intr foll by in) informal to purchase; buy

Derived forms of invest

investable or investible, adjectiveinvestor, noun

Word Origin for invest

C16: from Medieval Latin investīre to clothe, from Latin, from vestīre, from vestis a garment

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

invest

Origin of invest

OTHER WORDS FROM invest

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH invest

Words nearby invest

Words related to invest

How to use invest in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for invest

Derived forms of invest

Word Origin for invest