invent
- 01 A2 Elementary
to design or create something that did not exist before, such as a machine or a tool.
to devise or produce a new device, method, or process through original thought or experimentation.
Simple“Alexander Graham Bell is famous because he helped invent the telephone.”
In context“Engineers are working to invent a more efficient battery that can store solar energy for several days without losing power.”
UsageThis is a transitive verb and requires a direct object.
PitfallWho 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).
- 02 B1 Intermediate
to make up a story, an excuse, or a lie.
to fabricate or concoct a story, excuse, or piece of information, often to deceive or entertain.
Simple“He had to invent a good excuse for being late to the meeting.”
In context“The novelist spent months trying to invent a believable world where magic and technology coexisted peacefully.”
invent vs discover — Discover is finding something that was already there; invent is creating something that never existed before.
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.