Definition of 'invest'
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense invests
, present participle investing
, past tense, past participle invested
1. verb
2. verb
When a government or organization invests in something, it gives or lends money for a purpose that it considers useful or profitable.
Why does Japan invest, on average, twice as much capital per worker per year than
the United States? [VERB noun]
[Also VERB]3. verb
If you invest in something useful, you buy it, because it will help you to do something more efficiently or more cheaply.
4. verb
If you invest time or energy in something, you spend a lot of time or energy on something that you consider to be useful or likely to be successful.
5. verb [usually passive]
6. verb
To invest someone with rights or responsibilities means to give them those rights or responsibilities legally or officially.
[formal]
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
invest in British English
verb
1. (often foll by in)
to lay out (money or capital in an enterprise, esp by purchasing shares) with the expectation of profit
3. (tr; often foll by in or with) mainly archaic
to invest a king in the insignia of an emperor
4. (transitive; often foll by in)
5. (tr; foll by in or with)
to place (power, authority, etc, in) or provide (with power or authority)
to invest new rights in the monarchy
6. (tr; usually passive; foll by in or with)
to provide or endow (a person with qualities, characteristics, etc)
he was invested with great common sense
7. (transitive; foll by with) usually poetic
to cover or adorn, as if with a coat or garment
when spring invests the trees with leaves
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
investable (inˈvestable) or investible (inˈvestible) adjective
investor (inˈvestor)
noun
Word origin
C16: from Medieval Latin investīre to clothe, from Latin, from vestīre, from vestis a garment
Word Frequency
invest in American English
verb transitive
1.
to clothe; array; adorn
2.
b.
to endow with qualities, attributes, etc.
3.
to install in office with ceremony
6.
7.
to spend (time, effort, etc.) with the expectation of some satisfaction
verb intransitive
9.
to invest money; make an investment
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
investor (inˈvestor)
noun
Word Frequency
invest in American English
(ɪnˈvest)
transitive verb
1.
to put (money) to use, by purchase or expenditure, in something offering potential profitable returns, as interest, income, or appreciation in value
3.
He invested a lot of time in his garden
4.
to furnish with power, authority, rank, etc
The Constitution invests the president with the power of veto
5.
to furnish or endow with a power, right, etc.; vest
Feudalism invested the lords with absolute authority over their vassals
6.
to endow with a quality or characteristic
to invest a friend with every virtue
9.
to provide with the insignia of office
10.
to install in an office or position
12.
to cover, adorn, or envelop
Spring invests the trees with leaves
intransitive verb
14.
to invest money; make an investment
to invest in oil stock
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
investor noun
Word origin
[1525–35; ‹ ML investīre to install, invest (money), surround, clothe in, L: to clothe in, equiv. to in- in-2 + vestīre to clothe, deriv. of vestis garment; see vest]Word Frequency
invest in Finance
(ɪnvɛst)
Word forms: (present) invests, (past) invested, (perfect) invested, (progressive) investing
verb
(Finance: Investment)
investment , investment If you invest your money, you put it into a business or a bank, to try to make a profit from it.
He invested millions of dollars in the business.
The total invested in hedge funds of every variety was about $1.3 trillion.
If you invest your money, you put it into a business or a bank, to try to make a profit from it.
Collins COBUILD Key Words for Finance. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Examples of 'invest' in a sentence
invest
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In other languages
invest
British English: invest
/ɪnˈvɛst/ VERB
If you invest in something, or if you invest a sum of money, you use your money in a way that you hope will increase its value, for example by buying shares or property.
They intend to invest directly in shares.
- American English: invest /ɪnˈvɛst/
- Arabic: يَسْتَثْمِرُ
- Brazilian Portuguese: investir
- Chinese: 投资
- Croatian: ulagati
- Czech: investovat
- Danish: investere
- Dutch: investeren
- European Spanish: invertir dinero
- Finnish: sijoittaa
- French: investir
- German: investieren
- Greek: επενδύω
- Italian: investire
- Japanese: 投資する
- Korean: 투자하다
- Norwegian: investere
- Polish: zainwestować
- European Portuguese: investir
- Romanian: a investi
- Russian: инвестировать
- Latin American Spanish: invertir emplear
- Swedish: investera
- Thai: ลงทุน
- Turkish: yatırım yapmak
- Ukrainian: інвестувати
- Vietnamese: đầu tư
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Definition of invest from the Collins English Dictionary
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