What does inventing mean?
Inventing means creating or devising something new, particularly an idea, device, process, or method. It is commonly used for innovation in science, engineering, art, and everyday problem-solving: an inventor may be described as inventing a machine, while a writer may speak of inventing characters or a new approach to a difficult problem. Inventing also has a less favourable sense of making up information that is not true, as in inventing an excuse or inventing a story. The word usually suggests purposeful creativity, though it can carry a note of playfulness or criticism. Its history reflects an important semantic change: the Latin ancestor invenire originally meant “to find,” but English “invent” developed strongly toward the modern idea of creating something previously unknown. As a present participle and gerund, inventing naturally appears in progressive constructions and in sentences where an activity itself is the subject.
verbInventing is the act of creating or devising something new, especially a device, method, or idea. It can also mean making up a story, excuse, or claim that is not true.
- To create or originate something new, especially an invention, method, design, or idea.
- To make up or fabricate something, such as a story, excuse, or explanation.
"The engineers spent months inventing a quieter, more efficient engine."
"She spent the afternoon inventing new ways to organize her research notes."
"He was inventing excuses rather than admitting that he had forgotten the appointment."
Inventing began with finding: its Latin ancestor meant “to find,” before English expanded the idea to creating something that had not existed before.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does inventing come from?
Invent entered English in the late Middle English period through Old French inventer, ultimately derived from the Latin invenire, “to find,” formed from in- and venire, “to come.” Latin invenire originally referred to finding or discovering something, and the English verb subsequently came to emphasize the deliberate creation of a new device, method, or idea. Related English words such as invention, inventive, and inventor preserve the same Latin foundation.
Related word forms
How inventing is actually used
Inventing is the present participle and gerund of invent. It commonly follows forms of the auxiliary be, as in “They are inventing a new device,” and can also be used as a gerund subject, as in “Inventing useful products requires patience and persistence.” In the second sense, it can imply deliberate deception, although the context may also make the sense playful.
Easily confused with inventing
Inventing is the action of creating or devising something, whereas an invention is the device, method, or idea produced by that action.
Inventing names an activity, while inventive is an adjective describing someone or something characterized by creativity and originality.