invent
verb
in·vent in-ˈvent 
invented; inventing; invents
transitive verb
1
: to produce (something, such as a useful device or process) for the first time through the use of the imagination or of ingenious thinking and experiment
2
: to devise by thinking : fabricate
3
archaic : find, discover
inventor
in-ˈven-tər
noun inventress
in-ˈven-trəs
noun 
Synonyms
- concoct
- construct
- contrive
- cook (up)
- devise
- drum up
- excogitate
- fabricate
- make up
- manufacture
- think (up)
- trump up
- vamp (up)
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Thomas Edison invented the phonograph. She is credited with inventing a procedure that has helped to save thousands of lives. She invented a clever excuse. We found out that he had invented the stories he told us about his military service.
Recent Examples on the Web But Andrews had to help invent the character of the pseudonym. 
Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2022 Due to the pioneering nature of their work, the UDT men were often forced to improvise and invent new equipment. Andrew Dubbins, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Aug. 2022 Though TikTok didn’t invent the audio meme, its effortless interface may have perfected it, and the platform, which recently ended Google’s 15-year-long run as the most visited website in the world, would be nothing without sound. New York Times, 17 Aug. 2022 The intense desire to uncover or invent AGI is a compelling allure that can spur individual AGI developers and researchers to openly share their latest work. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 15 Aug. 2022 The home run is not just that these companies invent [technology] here. Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Aug. 2022 Opting to hyphenate, combine, or invent a new surname like newlyweds Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz Beckham could be framed as a mutually fulfilling means of self-preservation or an empty political gesture. Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 21 July 2022 The costs of some ingredients and supplies have skyrocketed, which Shariat says forces the team to get creative and invent new ways of creating certain dishes. Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, 24 May 2022 But then how did the RNAs invent all of metabolism, cells, spatial structure and so on? Viviane Callier, Quanta Magazine, 8 Aug. 2022 See More
Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2022 Due to the pioneering nature of their work, the UDT men were often forced to improvise and invent new equipment. Andrew Dubbins, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Aug. 2022 Though TikTok didn’t invent the audio meme, its effortless interface may have perfected it, and the platform, which recently ended Google’s 15-year-long run as the most visited website in the world, would be nothing without sound. New York Times, 17 Aug. 2022 The intense desire to uncover or invent AGI is a compelling allure that can spur individual AGI developers and researchers to openly share their latest work. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 15 Aug. 2022 The home run is not just that these companies invent [technology] here. Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Aug. 2022 Opting to hyphenate, combine, or invent a new surname like newlyweds Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz Beckham could be framed as a mutually fulfilling means of self-preservation or an empty political gesture. Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 21 July 2022 The costs of some ingredients and supplies have skyrocketed, which Shariat says forces the team to get creative and invent new ways of creating certain dishes. Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, 24 May 2022 But then how did the RNAs invent all of metabolism, cells, spatial structure and so on? Viviane Callier, Quanta Magazine, 8 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Latin inventus, past participle of invenire to come upon, find, from in- + venire to come — more at come
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3
Phrases Containing invent
Kids Definition
invent
verb
in·vent in-ˈvent
invented; inventing
1
: to create or produce for the first time
Thomas Edison invented the light bulb.
2
: to think up : make up
She invented an excuse for being late.
Legal Definition
invent
transitive verb
in·vent
: to create or produce for the first time
invented 1 of 2
adjective
as in fictitious
not real and existing only in the imagination a daydreamer who lives mostly in her invented magic kingdom Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- fictitious
- imaginary
- fictional
- mythical
- imagined
- fantasied
- mythic
- ideal
- pretend
- phantom
- fantastical
- fanciful
- made-up
- unreal
- legendary
- chimerical
- imaginal
- fantastic
- conceived
- visionary
- theoretical
- unlikely
- fabulous
- make-believe
- notional
- phantasmal
- chimeric
- concocted
- fabled
- visualized
- envisioned
- phantasmic
- romantic
- hypothetical
- theoretic
- abstract
- envisaged
- fabricated
- pictured
- unbelievable
- deceptive
- unconvincing
- illusory
- fictive
- nonexistent
- delusive
- phantasmagoric
- hallucinatory
- feigned
- delusional
- phantasmagorical
- daydreamlike
- inexistent
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- real
- actual
- existent
- existing
- true
- authentic
- genuine
- verifiable
- convincing
- realistic
- factual
- verified
- physical
- solid
- believable
- substantial
- material
- corporeal
- tangible
- palpable
invented
2 of 2verb
as in devised
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination they invented an explanation for the broken vase that would satisfy their grandmother Synonyms & Similar Words
- devised
- concocted
- constructed
- designed
- manufactured
- produced
- excogitated
- conceived
- fabricated
- contrived
- coined
- hatched
- trumped up
- drummed up
- made up
- envisioned
- dreamed
- imagined
- came up with
- visualized
- improvised
- fantasized
- vamped (up)
- cooked (up)
- envisaged
- thought (up)
- dreamt
- daydreamed
- visioned
- extemporized
- pictured
- ad-libbed
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- copied
- imitated
- mimicked
- reproduced
- duplicated
- cloned
- replicated
- copycatted
- reduplicated