Synonyms

invest

American

[in-vest] / ɪnˈvɛst /

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.

invest British

/ ɪnˈvɛst /

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

"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

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Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

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Future

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”; see in- ², vest

Explanation

When you invest, you put time or money into something, hoping that there will be returns greater than what was originally put in. You commonly hear talk of investing money, but you can invest time in a project as well. You can invest your hopes or emotions in a person. The money, time, or hope is called the investment. Invest can also mean to endow with a power or quality. Laws invest police officers with abilities that regular citizens do not have. Invest originally meant to clothe. In fact, there is a room in some churches still called a vestry where priests get into their garb.

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Vocabulary lists containing invest

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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:

invest invests invested investing

Writing in the Times newspaper, external, Burnham has laid out his case for the government to "invest in the success of our young people" rather than "pay for failure through the benefits system".

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

And even fewer want to invest in one.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

Protesters are demanding the government take costly measures to boost consumers’ purchasing power and invest in the education system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

“We continuously invest in safeguarding the systems and data we maintain.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

“I’d invest in a privateer. I’d buy an expectation from a sailor.”

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

Bending Spoons stock soars as Berkshire Hathaway invests another $330 million in the digital media company.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

At my last review he threw something at me I didn’t see coming — a private syndicate in the UAE that invests in data centers.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

In Rosario, his family firm invests in Carrasco M, a development of 24 homes by the Parana river, with Ángel Di María's property agency handling the sales.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Forbion invests in life-sciences companies primarily in Europe and North America across a range of therapeutic areas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

I just finished a draft essay about my career dream: a fair-trade company that invests in and designs eco-friendly clothes sewn and embroidered by Indian village women.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

Dimon wished JPMorgan had invested alongside the Department of Defense, which helped spur the idea for the bank’s initiative.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

And it’s hard to feel sorry or invested in his often insufferable victims, which diminishes the horror of his mission.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

The idea has restarted a debate almost as old as gaming itself: if you are that invested in a fictional relationship, is your real-life partner entitled to be upset?

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

The Australian Government has invested $387 million in the SKA, while the project's total cost exceeds $2 billion.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

He was a man of business, and I suspected he would not like losing the ten pounds sterling he had invested in me.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood

I’m Mark DeCambre, MarketWatch’s editor in chief, and each day I’ll be handpicking the stories worth your time, from the latest market developments and investing ideas to our newsroom’s best reporting.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

Disney is one of the many entertainment giants already investing big in the creator economy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

Companies around the world, primarily technology firms, have cut thousands of jobs after investing in AI, with many pointing to higher efficiencies from its adoption.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

But they should only reassure us if we can rely on what legendary financier John Templeton said were the four most dangerous words in investing: “This time it’s different.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

In October 2001, he explained the concept in his letter to investors: “Ick investing means taking a special analytical interest in stocks that inspire a first reaction of ‘ick.’”

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023