as in devising
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 inventing
Tell that to Soren Sorensen (Sam) Adams, the Danish immigrant who is credited with inventing many of the same contraptions, along with some six hundred others, including sneezing powder and the joy buzzer.
—
Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Teachers are not inventing problems.
—Lance Walters, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2026
Known for inventing the Giant Bar and Candy Raisins, the Ziegler company became one of Wisconsin’s largest candy companies.
—Elaine Rewolinski, jsonline.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Thomas Edison had many misses inventing the lightbulb.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 24 Jan. 2026
Created by Terry Nation, the man credited with inventing the Daleks, Blake’s 7 aired for four seasons on the BBC from 1978 to 1981.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 Jan. 2026
If your brain immediately starts inventing imaginary future scenarios, that’s often your sign the item has already served its purpose.
—Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 17 Jan. 2026
Hassabis said the company's issue wasn't inventing tech.
—Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 16 Jan. 2026
Some unnamed Chicago bartender in the early 1880s had the improbable idea of taking a Whiskey Sour and adding a little red wine to the top, inventing in a bizarre flash of insightone of the great warm weather whiskey drinks of our time.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 10 Jan. 2026
Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Teachers are not inventing problems.
—Lance Walters, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2026
Known for inventing the Giant Bar and Candy Raisins, the Ziegler company became one of Wisconsin’s largest candy companies.
—Elaine Rewolinski, jsonline.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Thomas Edison had many misses inventing the lightbulb.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 24 Jan. 2026
Created by Terry Nation, the man credited with inventing the Daleks, Blake’s 7 aired for four seasons on the BBC from 1978 to 1981.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 Jan. 2026
If your brain immediately starts inventing imaginary future scenarios, that’s often your sign the item has already served its purpose.
—Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 17 Jan. 2026
Hassabis said the company's issue wasn't inventing tech.
—Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 16 Jan. 2026
Some unnamed Chicago bartender in the early 1880s had the improbable idea of taking a Whiskey Sour and adding a little red wine to the top, inventing in a bizarre flash of insightone of the great warm weather whiskey drinks of our time.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 10 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inventing
Verb
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And commissioners spent all that time devising the College Sports Commission in an attempt to stabilize the NIL/portal market, then sit back and let one school in their conference steal yet another star QB half an hour before the portal closes.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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The 40-year-old cooks up ways to make quarterbacks miserable in his sleep, devising schemes that are meant to lure as much as they are intended to confuse.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The reality is that the AI is concocting elaborate personas, faking as though humans are writing about human woes.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Both activities can be fairly ordinary hobbies—games of imagination not so different from crushing on a pop star or concocting stories about a film protagonist.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Risk is one of the most consequential currencies in geopolitics, and Washington has spent years constructing an elaborate risk architecture around China.—
Dewardric L. McNeal,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
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Bonds are used to fund brick-and-mortar projects, which include constructing, equipping, maintaining and furnishing district facilities.—
Kendrick Calfee
February 11,
Kansas City Star,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In designing the Grange, Davies had a rule that everything needed to be ordered and symmetrical.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
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Which institutional intel has proved crucial for designing modern missions.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inventing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inventing. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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