invested; investing; invests
1
: to commit (money) in order to earn a financial return
2
: to make use of for future benefits or advantages
invested her time wisely
3
: to involve or engage especially emotionally
were deeply invested in their children's lives
: to make an investment
invested; investing; invests
1
[Medieval Latin investire, from Latin, to clothe]
a
: to array in the symbols of office or honor
b
: to furnish with power or authority
c
: to grant someone control or authority over : vest
2
: to endow with a quality : infuse
3
: to cover completely : envelop
5
[Middle French investir, from Old Italian investire, from Latin, to surround]
: to surround with troops or ships so as to prevent escape or entry
Examples of invest in a Sentence
Verb (2)
invested the film with his own enthusiasm for the wonders of flight
a woman invested with the strong desire to make the world a better place
invested him with power of attorney
a fashion designer who has invested a number of the winners of the best actress award
the beloved actor was finally invested as a knight by the queen
the city was mercilessly invested for an entire year, but never fell
nightfall invested the land
Recent Examples on the Web
Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 19 July 2025
Venture capital firms often develop ethical investing theses: some won’t invest in gambling, smoking, or other industries that promote harmful behavior.
—Cherie Brooke Luo, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025
Touré, however, stressed that Côte d’Ivoire had already been working on creating greater incentives for more Anglophone businesses to invest and trade with it even before Washington’s tariffs’ push.
—Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 18 July 2025
Just weeks after Meta invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI and hired founder Alexandr Wang, the AI startup is laying off 200 full-time employees—about 14% of its workforce, according to CNBC.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for invest
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Verb
These include not only making ends meet, but having enough breathing room to pay down debt, build emergency savings and invest for the future.
—Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 19 July 2025
Venture capital firms often develop ethical investing theses: some won’t invest in gambling, smoking, or other industries that promote harmful behavior.
—Cherie Brooke Luo, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025
Touré, however, stressed that Côte d’Ivoire had already been working on creating greater incentives for more Anglophone businesses to invest and trade with it even before Washington’s tariffs’ push.
—Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 18 July 2025
Just weeks after Meta invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI and hired founder Alexandr Wang, the AI startup is laying off 200 full-time employees—about 14% of its workforce, according to CNBC.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for invest
Cite this Entry
“Invest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invest. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
invest
2 of 2 verb1
: to lay out money so as to return a profit
invest in bonds and real estate
2
: to expend for future benefits or advantages
invest time and effort in a project
3
: to involve or engage especially emotionally
were deeply invested in their children's lives
Medical Definition
invest
transitive verb
in·vest
in-ˈvest 
1
: to envelop or cover completely
the pleura invests the lung
2
: to endow with a quality or characteristic
the paranoid personality who invests the external world with his … ideas and feelings—Structure & Meaning of Psychoanalysis
Structure & Meaning of PsychoanalysisLegal Definition
invest
2 of 2 verb1
: to commit (money) in order to earn a financial return
2
: to make use of for future benefits or advantages
: to commit funds or purchase something of intrinsic value for future gain : make an investment
—often used with in
investor
noun
Etymology
Transitive verb
Medieval Latin investire, from Latin, to clothe, from in- in + vestis garment
Verb
Italian investire to clothe, invest money, from Latin, to clothe
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