investment

[in-vest-muhnt]

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 compound. Metallurgy.,  a refractory material applied in a plastic state to a pattern to make a mold.

12. Archaic.,  a garment or vestment.

investment

/ 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

investment

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of investment¹

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

Example Sentences

“Scammers often target seniors with fraudulent investment opportunities or make deceptive phone calls posing as government agencies or fake charities.”

Read more on MarketWatch

However, the banking sector could see more muted investment income as interest rates stabilize, Woo adds.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“A lot remains uncertain around the investment case, the most obvious being what acquisitions may be attempted, at what price, and with what funding,” the analyst writes.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Big tech companies are streaming into debt markets to fund gigantic investments in data centers, chips and other AI-related infrastructure.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Some drivers — many of whom claim to have fled persecution in India and requested asylum in the U.S. — are sitting on expensive investments they cannot use.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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