invasion

noun

in·​va·​sion in-ˈvā-zhən 

1

: an act of invading

especially : incursion of an army for conquest or plunder

2

: the incoming or spread of something usually hurtful

Synonyms

• descent
• foray
• incursion
• inroad
• irruption
• raid

Examples of invasion in a Sentence

The enemy launched an invasion.

The people live under a constant threat of invasion.

The town is gearing up for the annual tourist invasion.

protecting the house from insect invasion

Recent Examples on the Web

Germany welcomed more than one million people during the migrant crisis of 2015-2016 and more recently took in large numbers of Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion. —Sophie Tanno, CNN, 14 Sep. 2024

The Russia-Ukraine War The Russian invasion of Ukraine triggered significant sanctions against Russian people and businesses. —Evan Smith, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024

Despite the dismissal of most claims, Peterson still retains the right to pursue defamation and false light invasion of privacy allegations. —Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 12 Sep. 2024

Japan’s invasion of Manchuria and the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany made a second world war likely. —Cyrus Veeser / Made By History, TIME, 10 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English invasioun "assault, attack," borrowed from Anglo-French invasion, envasioun, borrowed from Late Latin invāsiōn-, invāsiō "attack, taking possession by violence," from Latin invādere "to enter with hostile intent, assault, attack" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at invade

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing invasion

• counter-invasion
• invasion of (someone's) privacy
• pre-invasion

Kids Definition

invasion

noun

in·​va·​sion in-ˈvā-zhən 

: an act of invading

especially : entrance of an army into a country for conquest

Medical Definition

invasion

noun

in·​va·​sion in-ˈvā-zhən 

: the act of invading: as

a

: the penetration of the body of a host by a microorganism

b

: the spread and multiplication of a pathogenic microorganism or of malignant cells in the body of a host

Legal Definition

invasion

noun

in·​va·​sion in-ˈvā-zhən 

: the act of or an instance of invading