2 VERB If you invent a story or excuse, you try to make other people believe that it is true when in fact it is not. □ [V n] I stood still, trying to invent a plausible excuse.
in|ven|tion / I nve nʃ ə n/ (inventions )
1 N‑COUNT An invention is a machine, device, or system that has been invented by someone. □ The spinning wheel was a Chinese invention.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Invention is the act of inventing something that has never been made or used before. □ [+ of ] …the invention of the telephone.
3 N‑VAR If you refer to someone's account of something as an invention , you think that it is untrue and that they have made it up. □ The story was certainly a favourite one, but it was undoubtedly pure invention.
4 N‑UNCOUNT Invention is the ability to invent things or to have clever and original ideas. □ …his great powers of invention.
in|ven|tive / I nve nt I v/ ADJ An inventive person is good at inventing things or has clever and original ideas. □ It inspired me to be more inventive with my own cooking. ● in|ven|tive|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ He has surprised us before with his inventiveness.
in|ven|tor / I nve ntə r / (inventors ) N‑COUNT An inventor is a person who has invented something, or whose job is to invent things. □ [+ of ] …Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone.
in|ven|tory / I nv ə ntri, [AM ] -tɔːri/ (inventories )
1 N‑COUNT An inventory is a written list of all the objects in a particular place. □ [+ of ] Before starting, he made an inventory of everything that was to stay.
2 N‑VAR An inventory is a supply or stock of something. [AM ] □ [+ of ] …one inventory of twelve sails for each yacht.
in|verse / I nvɜː r s/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If there is an inverse relationship between two things, one of them becomes larger as the other becomes smaller. □ The tension grew in inverse proportion to the distance from their final destination. ● in|verse|ly ADV [ADV adj/-ed, ADV after v] □ The size of the nebula at this stage is inversely proportional to its mass.
2 N‑SING The inverse of something is its exact opposite. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] There is no sign that you bothered to consider the inverse of your logic. ● ADJ [ADJ n] Inverse is also an adjective. □ The hologram can be flipped to show the inverse image.
in|ver|sion / I nvɜː r ʃ ə n, -ʒ ə n/ (inversions ) N‑VAR When there is an inversion of something, it is changed into its opposite. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] …a scandalous inversion of the truth.
in|vert / I nvɜː r t/ (inverts , inverting , inverted )
1 VERB If you invert something, you turn it the other way up or back to front. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] Invert the cake onto a cooling rack. □ [V -ed] …a black inverted triangle.
2 VERB If you invert something, you change it to its opposite. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] They may be hoping to invert the presumption that a defendant is innocent until proved guilty. □ [V -ed] …a telling illustration of inverted moral values.
in|ver|tebrate / I nvɜː r t I brət/ (invertebrates ) N‑COUNT An invertebrate is a creature that does not have a spine, for example an insect, a worm, or an octopus. [TECHNICAL ] ● ADJ Invertebrate is also an adjective. □ …invertebrate creatures.
in|ve rt|ed co m|mas
1 N‑PLURAL Inverted commas are punctuation marks that are used in writing to show where speech or a quotation begins and ends. They are usually written or printed as ‘ ’ or “ ”. Inverted commas are also sometimes used around the titles of books, plays, or songs, or around a word or phrase that is being discussed. [BRIT ] in AM, use quotation marks
2 PHRASE If you say in inverted commas after a word or phrase, you are indicating that it is inaccurate or unacceptable in some way, or that you are quoting someone else. [BRIT ] □ They're asked to make objective, in inverted commas, evaluations of these statements.
in|vest ◆◇◇ / I nve st/ (invests , investing , invested )
1 VERB If you invest in something, or if you invest a sum of money, you use your money in a way that you hope will increase its value, for example by paying it into a bank, or buying shares or property. □ [V + in ] They intend to invest directly in shares. □ [V n + in ] He invested all our profits in gold shares. □ [V n] When people buy houses they're investing a lot of money.
2 VERB When a government or organization invests in something, it gives or lends money for a purpose that it considers useful or profitable. □ [V + in ] …the British government's failure to invest in an integrated transport system. □ [V n + in ] …the European Investment Bank, which invested £100 million in Canary Wharf. □ [V n] Why does Japan invest, on average, twice as much capital per worker per year than the United States? [Also V ]
3 VERB If you invest in something useful, you buy it, because it will help you to do something more efficiently or more cheaply. □ [V n + in ] The company invested thousands in an electronic order-control system. □ [V + in ] The easiest way to make ice cream yourself is to invest in an ice cream machine.
4 VERB If you invest time or energy in something, you spend a lot of time or energy on something that you consider to be useful or likely to be successful. □ [V n + in ] I would rather invest time in Rebecca than in the kitchen.