invest

[ in-vest ]

/ ɪnˈvɛst /

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See synonyms for: invest / invested / investing / investor on Thesaurus.com

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.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM invest

in·ves·tor, nounnon·in·ves·tor, nouno·ver·in·vest, verbpre·in·vest, verb (used with object)

re·in·vest, verb (used with object)un·der·in·vest, verb (used without object)un·der·in·vest·ed, adjectiveun·in·vest·ed, adjectivewell-in·vest·ed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH invest

infect, infest, invest

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use invest in a sentence

Some publishers have been reticent to invest much time and effort in posting original videos to TikTok because they have struggled to find success on the platform and have been underwhelmed by the platform’s support of publishers.
‘We’ll give you money’: TikTok getting publishers’ attention by including them in $1 billion Creator Fund|Tim Peterson|August 28, 2020|Digiday
Face with spending more time at home, people began investing in improving their outdoor living spaces.
SEO in the second half of 2020: Five search opportunities to act on now|Jim Yu|August 17, 2020|Search Engine Watch
The impact of wage discrimination trickles down, as we are paid less, invest less and build less generational wealth for our children.
COVID-19 Highlighted Pay Disparities; November’s Election Can Help Fix Them|Shirley Weber|August 13, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Check out your competition’s advertising methods, and investigate how much they invest in certain areas.
10 Reasons why marketers use data to make budgeting decisions|Kimberly Grimms|July 28, 2020|Search Engine Watch

Aldi, for example, shared updates on how they were investing in supporting local communities during the outbreak.
Lessons from lockdown: Four content types that users really engage with|Edward Coram James|July 20, 2020|Search Engine Watch
What if there were a legal dispute between the foreign investor and his or her Egyptian partners or collaborators?
Amal Clooney vs. Egypt’s Courts|Christopher Dickey|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
No Labels co-founder and Daily Beast columnist Mark McKinnon is also an investor.
‘Ready for Romney’ Is Amateur Hour|Tim Mak|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And as far as Synchronoss knows, Alexander was just another investor.
NSA Chief Bet Money on AT&T as It Spied on You|Shane Harris|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And how investor confidence would fall drastically each time Rousseff rose in the polls.
What Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff Can Teach Hillary Clinton|Heather Arnet|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A wealthy private equity investor, Orman is a social moderate and fiscal conservative.
The Independents Who Could Tip the Senate in November|Linda Killian|October 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Parliament is often more easily persuaded than the shrewd investor, as many a too sanguine promoter knows.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
After a reasonable period, each investor received a certificate of his stock through the mail.
Sevenoaks|J. G. Holland
The small investor has remarkably little power over his invested capital.
The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind|Herbert George Wells
Many and many a small investor has lost the savings of a lifetime because he had a ‘hunch’ that he would bring in a good well.
Betty Gordon in the Land of Oil|Alice B. Emerson
Some curious facts were brought out in the effort of the Liberty Campaign propaganda to reach the individual investor.
Harper's Pictorial Library of the World War, Volume XII|Various

British Dictionary definitions for invest

invest

/ (ɪnˈvɛst) /

verb

(often foll by in) to lay out (money or capital in an enterprise, esp by purchasing shares) with the expectation of profit

(tr often foll by in) to devote (effort, resources, etc, to a project)

(tr; often foll by in or with) mainly archaic to clothe or adorn (in some garment, esp the robes of an office)to invest a king in the insignia of an emperor

(tr often foll by in) 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

(tr foll by with) usually poetic to cover or adorn, as if with a coat or garmentwhen spring invests the trees with leaves

(tr) rare to surround with military forces; besiege

(intr foll by in) informal to purchase; buy

Derived forms of invest

investable or investible, adjectiveinvestor, noun

Word Origin for invest

C16: from Medieval Latin investīre to clothe, from Latin, from vestīre, from vestis a garment

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

invest

Origin of invest

OTHER WORDS FROM invest

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH invest

Words related to invest

How to use invest in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for invest

Derived forms of invest

Word Origin for invest