v., -vest·ed, -vest·ing, -vests. v.tr.
- To commit (money or capital) in order to gain a financial return: invested their savings in stocks and bonds.
- To spend or devote for future advantage or benefit: invested much time and energy in getting a good education.
- To devote morally or psychologically, as to a purpose; commit: "Men of our generation are invested in what they do, women in what we are" (Shana Alexander).
- To endow with authority or power.
- To install in office with ceremony: invest a new emperor.
- To endow with an enveloping or pervasive quality: "A charm invests a face/Imperfectly beheld" (Emily Dickinson).
- To clothe; adorn.
- To cover completely; envelop.
- To surround with troops or ships; besiege. See synonyms at besiege.
To make investments or an investment: invest in real estate.
[From Italian investire and from French investir, both from Latin investīre, to clothe, surround : in-, in; see in-2 + vestīre, to clothe (from vestis, clothes).]
investable in·vest'a·ble adj.investor in·ves'tor n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
