# invest

/ˌɪnˈvɛst/ (US) · /ɪnvˈɛst/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/invest
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. money for profit

verb · CEFR B1 · General-service

to put money into a business or property to make more money in the future.

For teachers: to commit capital to an enterprise, project, or asset with the expectation of achieving a profit or material result.

- She decided to invest her savings in a small local business.
- Institutional investors were hesitant to invest in the emerging market until the regulatory framework became more transparent.

Usage: Commonly used with the preposition 'in'.

### 2. time or effort

verb · CEFR B2 · General-service

to spend a lot of time or energy on something because it is important to you.

For teachers: to devote time, effort, or emotional energy to a particular undertaking with the expectation of a worthwhile result.

- If you invest time in learning a language now, it will help your career later.
- The mentors invest significant energy into the development of their students, viewing the success of the graduates as their primary reward.

### 3. giving power or authority

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal · Academic

to officially give someone power, a title, or a special quality.

For teachers: to formally provide someone with power, authority, or a specific right; often used in the passive voice.

- The constitution invests the president with the power to veto new laws.
- The royal charter invests the governor with the authority to manage all colonial trade agreements without direct parliamentary oversight.

Usage: Often follows the pattern 'invest someone with something'.

### 4. surround with troops

verb · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

to surround a city or castle with an army to stop people from leaving or entering.

For teachers: to surround a place with military forces in order to besiege it.

- The enemy forces began to invest the city walls at midnight.
- The general chose to invest the fortress rather than risk a direct assault, hoping to starve the garrison into a quick surrender.

### 5. weather monitoring

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a weather area that experts are watching because it might turn into a big storm.

For teachers: a designated area of disturbed weather monitored for potential tropical cyclone development.

- The weather center is tracking a new invest in the Atlantic Ocean.
- Meteorologists upgraded the invest to a tropical depression after satellite imagery confirmed a closed surface circulation.

## Examples

- I want to invest some money in the stock market.
- Small business owners often invest their own savings to get their companies started during the first year.
- While the financial returns were modest, the firm chose to invest heavily in sustainable infrastructure to secure long-term operational stability and public trust.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.