vested
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vested
Explanation
If you have a vested interest in something, you have a personal stake in its success. You have a vested interest in your science project — if your invention works, you could be rich and famous. Vested can also refer to something assigned to you. When a minister says "by the power vested in me by the State of Ohio, I now pronounce you husband and wife," he's referring to the legal authority he’s been given to marry people. Vested can also be a financial term. If you’re vested in your company's pension plan after working there 5 years, then even if you quit at 5 years, that pension money is yours to take with you.
Vocabulary lists containing vested
Vocabulary from the Constitution of the United States
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Marbury v. Madison (1803)
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Eyes Wide Open
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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.
Disney already has a vested interest in device-based entertainment.
From Salon • Jun. 21, 2026
According to the Canada-based investigator who didn't want to be named, the inquiry has become "unusually contentious because so many stakeholders have a vested interest in its outcome".
From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026
He started as a contractor for $28 an hour, then was hired full time and given an equity stake valued at $10,000 that vested over five years.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Daniel Kokotajlo, who forfeited roughly $2 million in vested equity rather than sign a non-disparagement agreement and stay quiet.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
But we too embrace faulty causes, usually at the urging of an expert proclaiming a truth in which he has a vested interest.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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.
