Invest Meaning
/ɪnˈvɛst/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo spend money, time, or energy on something, especially for some benefit or purpose; used with in.
verbTo clothe or wrap (with garments).
Sentence Examples
Our advice is that the company invest in new equipment.
I feel secure when I invest in stocks but not bonds.
Now is a good time to invest.
CEFR Practice Quiz
To grow your wealth, it is wise to ____ in a diversified portfolio of assets.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The company plans to ____ millions of dollars in new technology to improve its manufacturing process.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Middle French investir or Medieval Latin investire, from Latin investio (“to clothe, cover”), from in- (“in, on”) + vestio (“to clothe, dress”), from vestis (“clothing”); see vest. The sense “to spend money etc.” probably via Italian investire, of the same root.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The authors predicted that when believers were deeply invested in a world view that had social support, believers would maintain their beliefs even when actual events disproved their worldview."
— 2025 November 4, Thomas Kelly, “Debunking “When Prophecy Fails””, in Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, volume 62, number 1, →DOI, →ISSN, page 1:
"We did not spend. We invested. [CEO Jeff Housenbold: He's learning!] I invest. Yes, I invested. I invested in a city for the contestants."
— 2025 December 3, NY Times DealBook Summit, 29:21, in MrBeast on Cracking the Attention Economy, spoken by Jimmy Donaldson:
"He was but shabbily apparelled in faded jacket and patched trowsers; a rag of a black handkerchief investing his neck."
— 1851, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick:
"Cannot find one this girdle to invest!"
— 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, book 4, canto 5, verse 18:
"Night / Invests the Sea, and wished Morn delayes"
— 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book 1, ll. 207-8:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
To grow your wealth, it is wise to ____ in a diversified portfolio of assets.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The company plans to ____ millions of dollars in new technology to improve its manufacturing process.