invest

[in-vest]

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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 helping retarded children.

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.

Origin of invest

1525–35; < Medieval Latin investīre to install, invest (money), surround, clothe in, Latin: to clothe in, equivalent to in- in-² + vestīre to clothe, derivative of vestis garment; see vest

Related formsin·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

Can be confusedinfect infest invest

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for invest

provide, devote, supply, spend, lend, adopt, establish, install, endue, advance, plunge, loan, stake, back, bankroll, sink, infuse, entrust, endow, imbue

Examples from the Web for invest

Contemporary Examples of invest

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
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
We should invest in new leaders, new conversations and new collaborations.
The Hidden Link Between Women and War
Leith Greenslade
December 3, 2014
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
“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

Historical Examples of invest

I have large sums of my own to invest, and it is no extra trouble to look after your money.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
To make sure of success and the size of his stakes he was willing to invest heavily.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
You are determined to invest these savings of yours in the common stock, are you?'
Life And Adventures Of Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens
Pepsy had no money invested in their unprofitable enterprise, for she had no money to invest.
Pee-wee Harris
Percy Keese Fitzhugh
I said to myself, 'I will invest my time in bringing up my children.'
The Mystery of Murray Davenport
Robert Neilson Stephens

British Dictionary definitions for invest

invest

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 Formsinvestable 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

Word Origin and History for invest

late 14c., "to clothe in the official robes of an office," from Latin investire "to clothe in, cover, surround," from in "in, into" (see in- (2)) + vestire "to dress, clothe" (see wear). The meaning "use money to produce profit" first attested 1610s in connection with the East Indies trade, and is probably a borrowing of Italian investire (13c.) from the same Latin root, via the notion of giving one's capital a new form. The military meaning "to besiege" is from c.1600. Related: Invested; investing.