invent

invent — verb

1. to create or design something original that did not exist before, using your ima

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to create or design something original that did not exist before, using your imagination or practical skills

Example

Mert invented a small device that helps farmers check the health of their soil.

invent + noun phrase referring to a concrete device

Students in Nairobi invented a new way to turn food waste into fuel.

Common collocations
  • invent a device
  • invent a method
  • invent a machine
  • invent a tool
  • invent a recipe
  • invent a game
  • invent a system
Synonyms
  • create

    more general; invent implies novelty and originality, while create can mean making anything, even things already known

  • devise

    emphasises careful planning or thinking; slightly more formal than invent

  • originate

    more formal; focuses on being the first to develop something

  • pioneer

    verb; suggests developing something new that others later build on

Antonyms
  • copy

    copying means reproducing something that already exists, the opposite of creating it for the first time

  • imitate

    imitating means following an existing model rather than creating something original

Grammar Patterns

invent + noun phrase (device / method / game / system)

Usage Note

The direct object is usually a concrete product (device, machine, tool) or an abstract creation (method, system, game, word). Compare with DISCOVER, which means finding something that already existed in nature.

Common Mistakes

Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, and scientists later invented radio waves.
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, and scientists later discovered radio waves.
'invent' means to create something new; 'discover' means to find something that existed naturally already.
The team invented a new species of frog in the rainforest.
The team discovered a new species of frog in the rainforest.
Species exist in nature before humans find them.

2. to create a false reason, explanation, or piece of information by using your ima

2.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to create a false reason, explanation, or piece of information by using your imagination, with the aim of tricking someone or hiding the truth

Example

Dahlia invented an excuse about a headache to get out of the family dinner.

invent + excuse as direct object

The little boy invented a dramatic story about a crocodile living under his bed.

Common collocations
  • invent an excuse
  • invent a story
  • invent a reason
  • invent an alibi
  • invent a name
  • invent evidence
  • invent a rumour
Synonyms
  • fabricate

    more formal; often used in legal or serious contexts about lies or false evidence

  • make up

    phrasal verb; less formal, very common in everyday conversation

  • concoct

    often humorous or informal; suggests a slightly creative or elaborate falsehood

Antonyms
  • report

    reporting tells what actually happened, while inventing creates a false version of events

  • reveal

    revealing uncovers the truth, the opposite of hiding it behind an invented story

Grammar Patterns

invent + noun phrase (excuse / story / reason / name / lie / alibi)

Usage Note

The direct object is most often an excuse, story, reason, name, or alibi — something intended to mislead. Unlike LIE (verb), which emphasises the act of speaking falsely, INVENT in this sense focuses on creating the false material itself. This sense is frequently used in journalism and crime contexts to describe fabricated evidence or quotes.

Common Mistakes

She invented a beautiful story for the writing contest.
She wrote a beautiful story for the writing contest.
'invent' suggests fabrication or untruth; for creative writing, use 'write' or 'create'.
He invented a false excuse for being late.
He invented an excuse for being late.
'excuse' already implies something not entirely true; 'false' is redundant.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

These four verbs all describe bringing something new into existence, but they differ in scope and formality. CREATE is the broadest — you can create a meal, a website, a problem, or a work of art, whether or not it is truly original. INVENT specifically means to produce something for the first time, often a practical object or method. DEVISE emphasises the mental effort involved in planning something new, such as devising a strategy or a system; it sounds slightly more deliberate than invent. ORIGINATE focuses on being the first person to start something, such as originating a tradition or a theory. PIONEER implies that the invention opened the door for later developments in a field, like pioneering a surgical technique. In practice, a scientist might devise an experiment, invent a device, originate a theory, and pioneer a field, but each word highlights a different facet of innovation.

create ↗devise ↗pioneer ↗originate ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • known for inventing
  • credited with inventing
  • capable of inventing

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Invent comes from the Latin verb 'invenire', meaning 'to come upon' or 'to find', formed from 'in-' ('into, upon') and 'venire' ('to come'). In classical Latin, 'invenire' meant to discover something already existing. The word entered English from Old French 'inventer' in the 1400s, and over time its meaning shifted from 'find' to 'create something new through imagination'. The older sense of 'finding' survives in related words like 'inventory' (a list of items found or counted) and 'invention' in the legal sense of discovering hidden treasure.