What does "invented" mean?

1. (created something new) to have designed or created a new tool, machine, or system for the first time. 2. (made up a story) to have made up a story, excuse, or explanation that is not true. 3. (fictional or false) not real; made up by someone's imagination.

invented

v. · adj.

US //ˌɪnˈvɛntəd// UK //ɪnvˈɛntɪd// in·vent·ed

1 created something new (v.)
A2 Elementary

to have designed or created a new tool, machine, or system for the first time.

to have originated or devised a new product, process, or device that did not previously exist.

Example

Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876.

Example

The engineer successfully patented the mechanism he had invented, ensuring his firm held exclusive rights to the revolutionary cooling technology.
- copied
- imitated
2 made up a story (v.)
B1 Intermediate

to have made up a story, excuse, or explanation that is not true.

to have fabricated a narrative or excuse, typically to deceive or entertain.

Example

He invented a clever excuse for being late to the meeting.

Example

The witness admitted she had invented the entire sequence of events to protect her colleague from potential legal consequences.
- fabricated
- made up
- concocted
- reported
- disclosed

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3 fictional or false (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

not real; made up by someone's imagination.

fictional or fabricated; existing only as a result of creative or deceptive imagination.

Example

The book is set in an invented world where magic is common.

Example

The journalist was criticised for including invented quotes in his profile of the reclusive billionaire.
- fictional
- imaginary
- false

Idioms1 entry

01
not invented here
Invented outside one's own organization (referring to the knee-jerk dismissal of products, technologies, etc. that come from third parties).