invent

verb

in-ˈvent How to pronounce invent (audio)
Definition of inventnext
as in to devise
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of invent But the association will not advertise a destination until the tribe or business approves its description – a small reversal of the old roadside economy, in which outsiders invented Native identities for signs and souvenirs. — Harry Bruinius, Christian Science Monitor, 24 Aug. 2026 Great teeming swarms of them, with an occasional locust seen in big buggy close-up, and shots of flying from a locust’s-eye view (the Steadicam had just been invented). — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 23 Aug. 2026 Then these guys [Weiss and Neil Gehani, Club CEO and founder] invented a 5-star Resort-type club. — Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Perkin had accidentally invented the world’s first synthetic dye. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for invent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for invent
  1. devise
  2. concoct
  3. construct
Verb
  • To create objects with collapsibility as a core feature, Toyonaga’s team devised an analytic design algorithm allowing incremental construction of complex scissored surfaces.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Then, in a famous 1937 paper, the mathematician Alan Turing devised a model based on hypothetical machines that could read and write symbols printed on an infinite tape according to a set of simple rules.
    — Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of devise
Verb
  • Baldoni denied wrongdoing and accused Lively of concocting false allegations as part of an effort to wrest creative control of the film.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • But the proposition isn’t simply about concocting an outfit for 18 holes.
    — Mike Dojc, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of concoct
Verb
  • Members maintain the club's 129-year-old building, construct new stretches of track and fix each other's trains.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Testing quantum sensing before launch Infleqtion will now construct an initial sensor head and an electronics engineering unit.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of construct

Browse Nearby Words

inveigling
invent
invented
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Cite this Entry

“Invent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/invent. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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