investment

American  

[in-vest-muhnt] / ɪnˈvɛst mənt /

noun

• investments
  plural

1. the investing of money or capital in order to gain profitable returns, as interest, income, or appreciation in value.

2. a particular instance or mode of investing.

3. a thing invested in, as a business, a quantity of shares of stock, etc.

4. something that is invested; sum invested.

5. the act or fact of investing or state of being invested, as with a garment.

6. a devoting, using, or giving of time, talent, emotional energy, etc., as for a purpose or to achieve something.

   His investment in the project included more time than he cared to remember.

7. Biology. any covering, coating, outer layer, or integument, as of an animal or vegetable.

8. the act of investing with a quality, attribute, etc.

9. investiture with an office, dignity, or right.

10. a siege or blockade; the surrounding of a place with military forces or works, as in besieging.

11. Also called investment compound. Metallurgy. a refractory material applied in a plastic state to a pattern to make a mold.

12. Archaic. a garment or vestment.

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investment British  

/ ɪnˈvɛstmənt /

noun

1. 1. the act of investing money

   2. the amount invested

   3. an enterprise, asset, etc, in which money is or can be invested

2. 1. the act of investing effort, resources, etc

   2. the amount invested

3. economics the amount by which the stock of capital (plant, machinery, materials, etc) in an enterprise or economy changes

4. biology the outer layer or covering of an organ, part, or organism

5. a less common word for investiture

6. the act of investing or state of being invested, as with an official robe, a specific quality, etc

7. rare the act of besieging with military forces, works, etc

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investment Cultural  

1. The purchase of property with the expectation that its value will increase over time.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonreinvestment
  noun
• overinvestment
  noun
• preinvestment
  noun
• reinvestment
  noun
• proinvestment
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• investments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of investment

First recorded in 1590–1600 investment for def. 12; 1605–15 investment for def. 1; invest + -ment

Explanation

You are making an investment when you put money into a business with the hopes that the business will grow and bring you a profit. Many consider a college education to be one of the best investments you can make. Besides money, you can put time, effort or emotional support into something and also call it an investment. Volunteering in an organization requires an investment of time and energy. You may hear someone say, "We must make an investment in the future of our children," when he or she is pleading for fiscal responsibility, education, environmental protection or some other cause that will affect the success of future generations.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

investment investments

India has also recently softened foreign direct investment rules, which could open the door to Chinese companies wanting to expand Indian investments.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

There was investment in the transfer window with the likes of England international Georgia Stanway and Spain full-back Ona Batlle arriving, as well as the talented, young Germany forward Lisa Baum.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

And because smart capital always flees uncertainty, open-ended, retroactive liability would chill investment, deterring the gas plant and the battery factory alike.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

It also called for climate resilience to become a national priority, led by a Cabinet-level minister coordinating preparedness across government and supporting long-term investment.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

“There’s been an investment in education here, above and beyond bare bones, and it paid off,” he said.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

The spike has been driven by stubbornly high inflation, government spending and an increase in companies borrowing to pay for their AI investments.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

According to the paper, Manchester City's chairman met with a senior UK cabinet minister two weeks before the guilty verdicts to discuss UAE's future investments in Britain.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

From there, you can decide what investments to hold and where they should be housed.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026

Adam Auriemma on budgeting, renting versus buying, investments, financial advisors, and more!

From Slate ● Oct. 3, 2026

Gau has insurance specialists to handle insurance needs and stockbrokers to handle investments and retirement specialists for older clients.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• asset
• contribution
• expenditure
• expense
• finance
• financing
• grant
• loan
• money
• property
• purchase
• stake
• transaction
• venture