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investment

American  
[in-vest-muhnt] / ɪnˈvɛst mənt /

noun

  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 compoundMetallurgy. a refractory material applied in a plastic state to a pattern to make a mold.

  12. Archaic. a garment or vestment.


investment British  
/ ɪnˈvɛstmənt /

noun

    1. the act of investing money

    2. the amount invested

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

    1. the act of investing effort, resources, etc

    2. the amount invested

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

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

  3. a less common word for investiture

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

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

"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

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


Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of investment

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

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.

However, its production output has fallen to less than one-third from 50 years ago, and it’s unclear how the U.S. administration will attract the investment it seeks anytime soon, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal

The sector’s research and development expenses for AI investment are also set to rise.

From The Wall Street Journal

Tiwari-Woodruff stressed the broader importance of sustained investment in medical research.

From Science Daily

“Our collaboration with Microsoft is a strong example of how we’re continuing to drive growth, investment, and collaborations here in the U.S.,” said Paul Thomas, president of Bosch in North America.

From The Wall Street Journal

At the low end, consultants such as Wood Mackenzie estimate that adding 500,000 barrels a day of incremental production from the Orinoco Belt over a decade would require on $15-$20 billion in investment.

From Barron's