invent

in·vent

I0213800 (ĭn-vĕnt′)tr.v. in·vent·ed, in·vent·ing, in·vents 1. To produce or contrive (something previously unknown) by the use of ingenuity or imagination.2. To make up; fabricate: invent a likely excuse.

[Latin invenīre, invent-, to find : in-, on, upon; see in-² + venīre, to come; see g^wā- in Indo-European roots.]

in·vent′i·ble adj.in·ven′tor n.

invent

(ɪnˈvɛnt) vb1. to create or devise (new ideas, machines, etc)2. to make up (falsehoods); fabricate[C15: from Latin invenīre to find, come upon, from in-² + venīre to come] inˈventible, inˈventable adj

in•vent

(ɪnˈvɛnt)

v.t. 1. to originate as a product of one's own ingenuity, experimentation, or contrivance: to invent a better mousetrap. 2. to produce or create with the imagination: to invent a story. 3. to make up or fabricate (something fictitious or false): to invent excuses. 4. Archaic. to come upon; find. [1425–75; late Middle English invented (past participle) discovered < Latin invenīre to encounter, come upon, find =in- in-² + venīre to come] in•vent′i•ble, adj.

invent

discover">discover1. 'invent'

If someone invents something new, they are the first person to think of it or make it.

Walter Hunt and Elias Howe invented the sewing machine.2. 'discover'

You do not use 'invent' to say that someone finds out about something which exists but which was not previously known. The word you use is discover.

Herschel discovered a new planet.Having found these fragments, the team of researchers discovered a way to date them.

invent

Past participle: invented
Gerund: inventing

Imperative
invent
invent

Present
I invent
you invent
he/she/it invents
we invent
you invent
they invent

Preterite
I invented
you invented
he/she/it invented
we invented
you invented
they invented

Present Continuous
I am inventing
you are inventing
he/she/it is inventing
we are inventing
you are inventing
they are inventing

Present Perfect
I have invented
you have invented
he/she/it has invented
we have invented
you have invented
they have invented

Past Continuous
I was inventing
you were inventing
he/she/it was inventing
we were inventing
you were inventing
they were inventing

Past Perfect
I had invented
you had invented
he/she/it had invented
we had invented
you had invented
they had invented

Future
I will invent
you will invent
he/she/it will invent
we will invent
you will invent
they will invent

Future Perfect
I will have invented
you will have invented
he/she/it will have invented
we will have invented
you will have invented
they will have invented

Future Continuous
I will be inventing
you will be inventing
he/she/it will be inventing
we will be inventing
you will be inventing
they will be inventing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been inventing
you have been inventing
he/she/it has been inventing
we have been inventing
you have been inventing
they have been inventing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been inventing
you will have been inventing
he/she/it will have been inventing
we will have been inventing
you will have been inventing
they will have been inventing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been inventing
you had been inventing
he/she/it had been inventing
we had been inventing
you had been inventing
they had been inventing

Conditional
I would invent
you would invent
he/she/it would invent
we would invent
you would invent
they would invent

Past Conditional
I would have invented
you would have invented
he/she/it would have invented
we would have invented
you would have invented
they would have invented

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	invent - come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort; "excogitate a way to measure the speed of light"devise, excogitate, contrive, formulate, forgecreate by mental act, create mentally - create mentally and abstractly rather than with one's hands
	2.	invent - make up something artificial or untruecook up, fabricate, manufacture, make updream up, think up, hatch, concoct, think of - devise or invent; "He thought up a plan to get rich quickly"; "no-one had ever thought of such a clever piece of software"mythologise, mythologize - construct a myth; "The poet mythologized that the King had three sons"confabulate - unconsciously replace fact with fantasy in one's memorytrump up, concoct - invent; "trump up charges"spin - make up a story; "spin a yarn"vamp, vamp up - make up; "vamp up an excuse for not attending the meeting"

invent

verb1. create, make, produce, develop, design, discover, imagine, manufacture, generate, come up with (informal), coin, devise, conceive, originate, formulate, spawn, contrive, improvise, dream up (informal), concoct, think up He invented the first electric clock.2. make up, devise, concoct, forge, fake, fabricate, feign, falsify, cook up (informal), trump up I stood there, trying to invent a plausible excuse.

invent

verbTo use ingenuity in making, developing, or achieving:concoct, contrive, devise, dream up, fabricate, formulate, hatch, make up, think up.Informal: cook up.Idiom: come up with.

Translations

发明虚构

invent

(inˈvent) verb1. to be the first person to make or use (eg a machine, method etc). Who invented the microscope?; When was printing invented?发明2. to make up or think of (eg an excuse or story). I'll have to invent some excuse for not going with him.虚构inˈvention (-ʃən) noun1. the act of inventing or the ability to invent. He had great powers of invention.创造力2. something invented. What a marvellous invention the sewing-machine was!发明物inˈventive (-tiv) adjective good at inventing. an inventive mind.有发明才能的inˈventiveness noun 创造性，有发明创造能力 inˈventor noun a person who invents. Alexander Graham Bell was the inventor of the telephone.发明者 see also discover.

invent

→ 发明zhCN

invent

not-invented-here syndrome

A prejudicial belief that products, systems, software, etc., that were not developed within a company or organization are not as suitable or well made as those that are created in-house. I think the boss's not-invented-here-syndrome stems from experiences he had using third-party software in his previous business, which apparently cost them thousands of dollars trying to implement.See also: syndrome

didn't invent gunpowder

Didn't do anything significant. I don't understand why he's so conceited—he didn't invent gunpowder or anything!See also: invent

reinvent the wheel

To do something in a wholly and drastically new way, often unnecessarily. (Usually used in negative constructions.) The film doesn't reinvent the wheel for action films, but it adds enough clever twists on the genre to still feel fresh and new. The company is often criticized for trying to reinvent the wheel every time they bring a new product to market, adding gimmicks and innovations nobody wanted or asked for.See also: reinvent, wheel

if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him

A sentiment expressed by 18th-century French philosopher Voltaire that emphasizes the human need to believe in a divine being. People can't help it—they need something bigger than themselves to believe in, so if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.See also: did, god, if, invent, necessary, not

didn't invent gunpowder

Rur. did not do anything terribly important. He may be the class president, but he didn't invent gunpowder. What's all this fuss about a movie star? She didn't invent gunpowder!See also: invent

If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.

Prov. People need a deity to worship. (This is an English translation of a quote from Voltaire. It is often parodied, using a person's name instead of God and implying that the person is somehow necessary.) The atheist tried to convince Jerry that God does not exist, and that people should not waste their time worshiping Him. "But you can't stop people from worshiping God," Jerry replied. "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him." The unscrupulous mayor was such a convenient scapegoat for the city's problems that if she had not existed, it would have been necessary to invent her.See also: did, god, if, invent, necessary, not

reinvent the wheel

Fig. to make unnecessary or redundant preparations. You don't need to reinvent the wheel. Read up on what others have done. I don't have to reinvent the wheel, but I will be cautious before I act.See also: reinvent, wheel

reinvent the wheel

Do something again, from the beginning, especially in a needless or inefficient effort, as in School committees need not reinvent the wheel every time they try to improve the curriculum. This expression alludes to the invention of a simple but very important device that requires no improvement. [Second half of 1900s] See also: reinvent, wheel

reinvent the wheel

If someone reinvents the wheel, they develop an idea or project that they consider new or different, when it is really no better than something that already exists. To avoid reinventing the wheel, it is important that managers are familiar with established research findings in this area. The problem is that they tend to reinvent the wheel each time they are called upon to respond to a new refugee emergency.See also: reinvent, wheel

reinvent the wheel

waste a great deal of time or effort in creating something that already exists or doing something that has already been done.See also: reinvent, wheel

reinvent the ˈwheel

waste time creating something that already exists and works well: There’s no point in us reinventing the wheel. Why can’t we just leave things as they are?See also: reinvent, wheel

reinvent the wheel

tv. to make unnecessary or redundant preparations. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Read up on what others have done. See also: reinvent, wheel

reinvent the wheel

To do or make something again, from the beginning, especially in a needless or inefficient effort.See also: reinvent, wheel

reinvent the wheel, to

To belabor the obvious; to start again from the beginning when there is no need to. This Americanism dates from the second half of the twentieth century and most likely originated in business or industry. “‘The new compiler here is no different from the old one,’ said a Defense Department spokesman. ‘Let’s not reinvent the wheel’” (Boston Herald, 1984).See also: reinvent

invent

in·vent

invent

in•vent

invent

invent

invent

invent

invent

invent

invent

not-invented-here syndrome

didn't invent gunpowder

reinvent the wheel

if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him

didn't invent gunpowder

If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.

reinvent the wheel

reinvent the wheel

reinvent the wheel

reinvent the wheel

reinvent the ˈwheel

reinvent the wheel

reinvent the wheel

reinvent the wheel, to

INVENT

invent

Synonyms for invent

verb create

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verb make up

Synonyms

Synonyms for invent

verb to use ingenuity in making, developing, or achieving

Synonyms

Synonyms for invent

verb come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort

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Related Words

verb make up something artificial or untrue

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Related Words