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investment

investments

You are making an investment when you put money into a business with the hopes that the business will grow and bring you a profit. Many consider a college education to be one of the best investments you can make.

Besides money, you can put time, effort or emotional support into something and also call it an investment. Volunteering in an organization requires an investment of time and energy. You may hear someone say, "We must make an investment in the future of our children," when he or she is pleading for fiscal responsibility, education, environmental protection or some other cause that will affect the success of future generations.

Definitions of investment
  1. noun
    the act of investing; laying out money or capital in an enterprise with the expectation of profit
    synonyms: investing
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    types:
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    arbitrage
    a kind of hedged investment meant to capture slight differences in price; when there is a difference in the price of something on two different markets the arbitrageur simultaneously buys at the lower price and sells at the higher price
    foreign direct investment
    investing in United States businesses by foreign citizens (often involves stock ownership of the business)
    leverage, leveraging
    investing with borrowed money as a way to amplify potential gains (at the risk of greater losses)
    risk arbitrage, takeover arbitrage
    arbitrage involving risk; as in the simultaneous purchase of stock in a target company and sale of stock in its potential acquirer; if the takeover fails the arbitrageur may lose a great deal of money
    type of:
    finance
    the commercial activity of providing funds and capital
  2. noun
    money that is invested with an expectation of profit
    synonyms: investment funds
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    speculation, venture
    an investment that is very risky but could yield great profits
    gamble
    money that is risked for possible monetary gain
    smart money
    money bet or invested by experienced gamblers or investors (especially if they have inside information)
    pyramid
    (stock market) a series of transactions in which the speculator increases his holdings by using the rising market value of those holdings as margin for further purchases
    type of:
    assets
    anything of material value or usefulness that is owned by a person or company
  3. noun
    the commitment of something other than money (time, energy, or effort) to a project with the expectation of some worthwhile result
    “this job calls for the investment of some hard thinking”
    “he made an emotional investment in the work”
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    type of:
    commitment, committedness
    the trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose
  4. noun
    the act of putting on robes or vestments
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    type of:
    dressing, grooming
    the activity of getting dressed; putting on clothes
  5. noun
    the ceremonial act of clothing someone in the insignia of an office; the formal promotion of a person to an office or rank
    synonyms: investiture
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    type of:
    promotion
    the act of raising in rank or position
  6. noun
    outer layer or covering of an organ or part or organism
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    types:
    pellicle
    thin protective membrane in some protozoa
    type of:
    cutis, skin, tegument
    a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘investment'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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