An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept.

Understanding the Context

Invention - Chronology, Innovations, History: Notable inventors and their inventions are listed in the table. The engine ushered in the Industrial Age, as well as enabling the invention of a huge variety of machines, including modern cars and aircraft. 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. Science and inventions have propelled human progress, as well as led to human destruction.

Key Insights

From the creation of the first stone tools to reusable space rockets to the atomic bomb, each step... If you create a new device or process, it's called an invention. Many futuristic inventions from science fiction have come true, though no one has successfully invented a time machine. If you don't patent your invention, other people may make all the profit out of it. The invention of the silicon chip was a landmark in the history of the computer.

Final Thoughts

Definition of invention noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.