invention

invention — noun

1. any machine, tool, or idea that a person designs and builds for the very first t

1.nounB2
Definition

any machine, tool, or idea that a person designs and builds for the very first time; also the work of bringing a new thing into existence through research and careful thinking

Example

Hassan's **invention** of a solar-powered water pump changed how the village collected clean water.

invention of [a device] — concrete product

The telephone is often named one of the most important **inventions** of the last two centuries.

countable: [something] is an invention

Common collocations
  • new invention
  • recent invention
  • important invention
  • patent an invention
  • invention of
  • invention by
Synonyms
  • creation

    broader term; can refer to art, ideas, or any made thing, not necessarily practical or first-of-its-kind

  • innovation

    an improvement on something that already exists, rather than a brand-new product

  • breakthrough

    a sudden important advance, often in science or medicine, that solves a long-standing problem

  • device

    a physical tool or piece of equipment; neutral term that does not imply originality

Antonyms
  • copy

    something made to look like an existing product

  • imitation

    a reproduction of an original design

Grammar Patterns

invention + of + noun phrase

invention + that-clause

Usage Note

Countable when referring to a specific device or idea (a new invention). Uncountable when referring to the act or process (the invention of the printing press). Subject is often a person or an organisation.

Common Mistakes

Edison's discovery of the light bulb.
Edison's invention of the light bulb.
a discovery finds something that already exists; an invention creates something new.
This is a very useful invention.
This is a very useful device / piece of technology.
a gadget is called an invention only when it is genuinely new, not just useful.

2. an untrue story, explanation, or claim that someone deliberately makes up; also

2.nounB2
Definition

an untrue story, explanation, or claim that someone deliberately makes up; also the practice of inventing dishonest accounts or excuses

Example

Trang dismissed the rumour as a complete **invention** by jealous coworkers.

complete invention — fabricated story

The suspect's alibi was pure **invention**; the police found proof that he was at the scene.

pure invention — totally made up

Common collocations
  • pure invention
  • complete invention
  • sheer invention
  • dismiss something as invention
  • nothing but invention
Synonyms
  • fabrication

    stronger and more formal; implies deliberate deceit

  • lie

    direct and common; a false statement made intentionally

  • falsehood

    formal and neutral; a statement that is not true, without necessarily implying blame

Antonyms
  • truth

    a fact or statement that is accurate and real

  • fact

    information that can be verified as true

Grammar Patterns

pure/sheer + invention

be an invention

Usage Note

Commonly paired with pure or complete for emphasis (pure invention / complete invention). Often used in contexts of gossip, journalism, court testimony, or personal excuses. The uncountable use (It's all invention) emphasises that nothing in the account is true.

Common Mistakes

He told an invention about his weekend.
He made up a story about his weekend.
invention as a false story sounds formal or accusatory; in casual speech, 'made up a story' or 'a lie' is more natural.
The invention was very convincing.
The lie was very convincing.
when referring to a false statement, lie or fabricated story is clearer.
Idioms

necessity is the mother of invention

idiom

When people face a difficult problem, they are forced to create new solutions.

When the bridge collapsed, necessity was the mother of invention for the engineers.

Did necessity become the mother of invention when your computer broke down?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Invention, creation, innovation, breakthrough, and discovery all refer to something new, but they differ in origin and process. An invention is something deliberately designed or built for the first time through study and experimentation — the result of human ingenuity applied to a practical problem. A creation can be anything brought into existence, including art, music, or ideas, and does not require practical usefulness. An innovation improves or adapts an existing product or method rather than starting from scratch: the smartphone was an innovation on earlier mobile phones, not an invention from nothing. A breakthrough describes a sudden, significant advance that overcomes a long-standing barrier, often in science or medicine. A discovery uncovers something that already existed but was unknown, such as a natural law, a species, or a hidden cave. Compare: 'Edison's light bulb was an invention,' 'Penicillin was a discovery by Fleming,' 'the polio vaccine was a breakthrough in medicine,' and 'streaming services were an innovation in the way we watch films.'

creation ↗innovation ↗breakthrough ↗discovery ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • invention of
  • invention by

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Invention comes from the Latin verb invenire, which means 'to come upon' or 'to find' — formed from in- (in, upon) plus venire (to come). In ancient Rome, invenire referred to discovering something that already existed, not creating something new. Over the centuries, the meaning shifted in late Latin to 'to devise or produce,' and the word entered English through Old French in the 1300s. By the 1500s, invention had taken on its modern sense: the act of bringing something new into existence through human effort and imagination.