Meaning & use
invested
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“invested” is a form of “invest”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Past tense and past participle of invest; put money into something to earn a profit or achieve a result.
Grammar: Takes an object: invest money. Often used with ‘in’: invest in stocks.
Patterns
- invest something in something
- invest in something
She invested all her savings in a small bakery.
They invested heavily in new technology last year.
He has invested a lot of time in learning Spanish.
adjectivenot comparable
Giving a lot of time, energy, or emotion to something because you care about it.
Grammar: Used after verbs like be, feel, become: She is invested in the project.
Patterns
- invested in something
- emotionally invested in someone
The teachers are deeply invested in their students’ success.
He became emotionally invested in the characters of the novel.
They felt invested in the community project and worked long hours.
Word forms
| base form | invest |
|---|---|
| third person singular | invests |
| present participle | investing |
Common combinations
- heavily invested
- The company is heavily invested in renewable energy.
- emotionally invested
- She gets emotionally invested in every case she takes on.
- invested in
- He is invested in the local community.
- financially invested
- They are financially invested in the startup.
Synonyms and how they differ
- committed
- Focuses on a strong promise or dedication; ‘invested’ often suggests giving resources or emotion, while ‘committed’ is about loyalty or obligation.
- devoted
- Means very loving or loyal; ‘invested’ is more about putting in effort or resources, not necessarily affection.
Opposites
Word family
- invest verb
- To put money, effort, or time into something to get a return.
- investment noun
- The act of putting money into something, or the money itself.
- investor noun
- A person who puts money into a business or property.
Commonly confused: invested or investing?
invested vs investing
‘Investing’ is the -ing form (e.g., ‘She is investing in stocks’); ‘invested’ is the past tense or past participle (e.g., ‘She invested in stocks’).
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The correct preposition after ‘invested’ (meaning giving time or emotion) is ‘in’. ‘On’ is used for physical positions, not for this meaning; ‘at’ and ‘for’ do not fit the pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “invested”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.