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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Present

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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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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

Homeowners can opt for heavier doors made of walnut or oak, for instance, and also invest in higher-quality doorknobs and hinges.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

The extra income means the club can then invest more in players like Sandro Tonali, who joined Spurs last month for a club record fee which could reach £100m.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

This transfer to early generations means that contributions must compensate for workers’ inability to invest their contributions and earn interest.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

Craig said she would also launch a new £20m high street scheme, promising it would support small businesses, revitalise empty units and invest in town-centre regeneration.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

We decided to get rooms at a hotel for about a month so we can figure things out, like how to buy stocks and invest wisely.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

GSK said it invests more than £6 billion in R&D each year, of which around one quarter of the amount is in the UK.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

The bid for Warner highlighted for investors that Netflix is concerned about growth, said Uday Cheruvu, a portfolio manager and analyst at Harding Loevner, which invests in Netflix.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Australia’s superannuation program invests those employer contributions into individual investment accounts, with the option for some employees to put in additional funds.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

Meta Platforms Inc. is alerting thousands of employees that they’re being laid off, part of a previously announced restructuring aimed at reducing costs while the company invests heavily in artificial intelligence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

She thinks we’ll be rich one day, but she never invests any money.

From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake

"There's a lot of research and funding invested in studying late-stage neurodegenerative diseases, but we actually know very little about how the brain changes throughout the normal healthspan of an individual," says Kronauer.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

The first is funding: Because the trust funds are invested almost entirely in low-yield government securities, they generate less income than they would under a higher-return strategy, putting pressure on reserves.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

Analysts have noted that heavy selling in recent weeks was focused on concerns about when the huge sums invested in AI would see returns, rather than fundamental problems in the sector.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

Investors had become concerned over the hundreds of billions of dollars being invested in AI by big technology firms.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

“He is the most energetic man I ever knew,” a man who invested in his business recalled.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

“We are driving efficiencies across the business, actively investing in and hiring for AI-focused skills, and managing headcount with discipline to end 2026 where we started.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

Both private-equity fundraising and investing have suffered in recent years from a persistent gap between buyer and seller expectations on valuations that has slowed exit activity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

So-called debt investing or buying on margin has been a major feature of the Korean stock market throughout 2026 and the source of much of its volatility.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

Aschenbrenner had no professional investing experience when he started the firm with a few hundred million dollars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Perhaps it was Giannini’s urging, perhaps the example of Bing Crosby, who was investing heavily in racehorses, or maybe the spellbinding vision of the track their money had built.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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