inventverb [ T ]
uk/ɪnˈvent/us/ɪnˈvent/invent verb [ T ] (NEW DESIGN)
B1 to design and/or create something that has never been made before:
The first safety razor was invented by company founder King C. Gillette in 1903.
More examples
- I wish someone would invent an everlasting light bulb.
- Pneumatic tyres were invented in 1888 by John Dunlop.
- Gas lamps became obsolete when electric lighting was invented.
- He has invented a wholly factitious story about his past.
- She tried to save face by inventing a story about being overseas at the time.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Inventing, designing and innovation
- architect
- artificer
- authoring
- blueprint
- cad
- coin
- computer-aided design
- engineer
- ergonomics
- father
- founding father
- guinea pig
- innovate
- mint
- pioneer
- research
- research and development
- robotics
- tech
- technical
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invent verb [ T ] (NOT TRUE)
B2 to create a reason, excuse, story, etc. that is not true, usually to deceive someone:
But I didn't invent the story - everything I told you is true.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Lies, lying & hypocrisy
- artifice
- bad faith
- be a pack of lies idiom
- canard
- charade
- cobbler
- flimflam
- forked tongue
- half-truth
- hogwash
- humbug
- make sth up
- polygraph
- pork pie
- porky
- post-factual
- post-truth
- propaganda
- stretch the truth idiom
- venal
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