invent
verb OPAL S
/ɪnˈvent/
/ɪnˈvent/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they invent | /ɪnˈvent/ /ɪnˈvent/ |
| he / she / it invents | /ɪnˈvents/ /ɪnˈvents/ |
| past simple invented | /ɪnˈventɪd/ /ɪnˈventɪd/ |
| past participle invented | /ɪnˈventɪd/ /ɪnˈventɪd/ |
| -ing form inventing | /ɪnˈventɪŋ/ /ɪnˈventɪŋ/ |
- invent something to produce or design something that has not existed before
- Who invented the steam engine?
- I wish mobile phones had never been invented!
- The term ‘sociology’ was invented by Auguste Comte.
Extra Examples- He practically invented the modern stand-up comedy act.
- Louis Braille invented an alphabet to help blind people.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- practically
- virtually
- single-handedly
- …
- newly invented
- invent something to say or describe something that is not true, especially in order to trick people
- What excuse did he invent this time?
- Many children invent an imaginary friend.
Extra ExamplesTopics Personal qualitiesb1- He considered inventing some pretext for calling her.
- I did not have to invent any tales about my past.
Word Originlate 15th cent. (in the sense ‘find out, discover’): from Latin invent- ‘contrived, discovered’, from the verb invenire, from in- ‘into’ + venire ‘come’.