invest
Americanverb (used with object)
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to put (money) to use, by purchase or expenditure, in something offering potential profitable returns, as interest, income, or appreciation in value.
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to use (money), as in accumulating something.
to invest large sums in books.
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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.
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to furnish with power, authority, rank, etc..
The Constitution invests the president with the power of veto.
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to furnish or endow with a power, right, etc.; vest.
Feudalism invested the lords with absolute authority over their vassals.
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to endow with a quality or characteristic.
to invest a friend with every virtue.
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to infuse or belong to, as a quality or characteristic.
Goodness invests his every action.
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Metallurgy. to surround (a pattern) with an investment.
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to provide with the insignia of office.
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to install in an office or position.
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to clothe, attire, or dress.
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to cover, adorn, or envelop.
Spring invests the trees with leaves.
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to surround (a place) with military forces or works so as to prevent approach or escape; besiege.
verb (used without object)
verb
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(often foll by in) to lay out (money or capital in an enterprise, esp by purchasing shares) with the expectation of profit
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to devote (effort, resources, etc, to a project)
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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
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to install formally or ceremoniously (in an official position, rank, etc)
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(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
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(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
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poetic to cover or adorn, as if with a coat or garment
when spring invests the trees with leaves
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rare (tr) to surround with military forces; besiege
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informal to purchase; buy
Other Word Forms
- investable adjective
- investor noun
- noninvestor noun
- overinvest verb
- preinvest verb (used with object)
- reinvest verb (used with object)
- underinvest verb (used without object)
- underinvested adjective
- uninvested adjective
- well-invested adjective
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”; in- 2, vest
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.
Since 2021, Micah Truman has invested more than $5 million in Return Home, which now operates 74 composting vessels in a warehouse outside Seattle.
That has squeezed how much cash the firm has to invest in new, potentially lucrative sectors such as data centers and electrical equipment.
After a rally of almost 80%, we told you to stay invested.
From Barron's
Today, members of the diaspora invest in sectors including real estate, agriculture, tech and small businesses, often seeking Ghanaian citizenship so they can own property, vote and access public services.
From BBC
The report found 72% don’t invest in gold and 89% don’t invest in cryptocurrencies or other digital assets—considered a hedge by some.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
