Word
invent
Phoneticsin·vent, stress on the second syllable
US/ˌɪnˈvɛnt/
UK/ɪnvˈɛnt/
Definitions
01to create a new thing
A2 · Elementary
v. to design or create something that did not exist before, such as a machine or a tool.
v. to devise or produce a new device, method, or process through original thought or experimentation.
日本語:発明する※
Español:inventar
“Alexander Graham Bell is famous because he helped invent the telephone.”
“Engineers are working to invent a more efficient battery that can store solar energy for several days without losing power.”
Usage
This is a transitive verb and requires a direct object.
Pitfall
Who invented the America?
Who discovered America?
Use 'invent' for things people create (like a phone). Use 'discover' for things that already existed but were unknown (like a country).
02to make up a story
B1 · Intermediate
v. to make up a story, an excuse, or a lie.
v. to fabricate or concoct a story, excuse, or piece of information, often to deceive or entertain.
日本語:作り上げる※
“He had to invent a good excuse for being late to the meeting.”
“The novelist spent months trying to invent a believable world where magic and technology coexisted peacefully.”
Confusables
Discover is finding something that was already there; invent is creating something that never existed before.
RememberDiscover = Uncover. Invent = Intent.
Etymology
From Middle English inventen, borrowed from Old French inventer, from Latin inventus, perfect passive participle of inveniō (“come upon, meet with, find, discover”), from in (“in, on”) + veniō (“come”); see venture. Compare advent, covent, event, prevent, etc. Displaced native Old English āþenċan (literally “to think out”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
ADJECTIVE
Idioms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A2 KeyIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.3.0–4.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 2.0–2.524–43TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.225–549
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- A2 · ElementaryOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/invent
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0