invention
noun
Did you know?
What is the difference between innovation and invention?
The words innovation and invention overlap semantically but are really quite distinct.
Invention can refer to a type of musical composition, a falsehood, a discovery, or any product of the imagination. The sense of invention most likely to be confused with innovation is “a device, contrivance, or process originated after study and experiment,” usually something which has not previously been in existence.
Innovation, for its part, can refer to something new or to a change made to an existing product, idea, or field. One might say that the first telephone was an invention, the first cellular telephone either an invention or an innovation, and the first smartphone an innovation.
Synonyms
Examples of invention in a Sentence
Loreben Tuquero, Austin American-Statesman, 26 Nov. 2024
At the time of its invention over 80 years ago, the PPK inspired an entirely new category in the firearm industry, now widely known as the concealed carry pistol.
—Chris Dorsey, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Not a mythical wizard who prophesied these great inventions, but a guy who had friends and relationships.
—Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 18 Nov. 2024
The goal is to peel back the curtain on how things are made, perhaps motivating young creators to make their own inventions.
—Patrick Connolly, Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for invention 
Dictionary Entries Near invention
Cite this Entry
“Invention.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invention. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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invention
noun
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