as in to devise
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination
they invented an explanation for the broken vase that would satisfy their grandmother
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Recent Examples of invent
Could Candy Crush be a digital version of Monopoly—the board game invented more than a century ago that is now a video and arcade phenomenon?
—
Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 15 June 2026
That film served as Carpenter’s follow-up to his breakthrough hit, Halloween, which didn’t invent the slasher film but did codify and popularize the horror subgenre in which seemingly deathless masked killers stalk helpless prey, often horny teens (though anyone will do in a pinch).
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 15 June 2026
Indeed, it’s been 60 years since England won the 1966 World Cup on their home soil, a humbling reality for the country credited with inventing soccer and that boasts the sport’s most prestigious professional league.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 15 June 2026
Mark Mitchnick, a pediatrician who invented transparent zinc oxide, which is known under the brand Z-Cote, said bemotrizinol will give chemists a new tool to make sunscreens that people will want to wear.
—Michael Scaturro, Miami Herald, 15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for invent
Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 15 June 2026
That film served as Carpenter’s follow-up to his breakthrough hit, Halloween, which didn’t invent the slasher film but did codify and popularize the horror subgenre in which seemingly deathless masked killers stalk helpless prey, often horny teens (though anyone will do in a pinch).
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 15 June 2026
Indeed, it’s been 60 years since England won the 1966 World Cup on their home soil, a humbling reality for the country credited with inventing soccer and that boasts the sport’s most prestigious professional league.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 15 June 2026
Mark Mitchnick, a pediatrician who invented transparent zinc oxide, which is known under the brand Z-Cote, said bemotrizinol will give chemists a new tool to make sunscreens that people will want to wear.
—Michael Scaturro, Miami Herald, 15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for invent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for invent
Verb
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Security firm Varonis devised an exploit chain that was able to catapult over these guardrails.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
16 June 2026
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The researchers were Stanford psychologists carrying out an experiment on impulse control devised by Walter Mischel.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Every detail is accurate, though the picture as a whole is an invention, concocted from multiple views, locations, and studies.—
Susan Tallman,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
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Investigators believed Simko met one of the suspects at a cannabis festival in Ann Arbor, where the suspects reportedly concocted a plan to set up a fake business deal and steal what officials said was upwards of 50 pounds of marijuana.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
Verb
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The fact that Claridge’s dug deep into the grounds underneath to construct a 7,000-square-foot spa and wellness area showed how invested the hotel is in this topic.—
Tianwei Zhang,
Footwear News,
17 June 2026
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And two, because much like her work itself, our interview included layered discussion of constructing and shaping identities.—
Stephanie Shih
June 17,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Invent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/invent. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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