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

The announcements came as senior officials from Ukraine and the U.S. began talks in Saudi Arabia on ending Moscow's three-year war against Kyiv, just hours after Russia downed over 300 Ukrainian drones—Ukraine's largest attack since the Kremlin's full-scale invasion. —Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025

If the figure is confirmed, the aerial attacks would represent one of the largest on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine, and a clear attempt to show strength on the part of Kyiv. —Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025

The brigade supported Ukraine’s August invasion of Russia’s Kursk Oblast and, under attack by an elite Russian drone group, may have evacuated the oblast in recent days alongside other Ukrainian brigades. —David Axe, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025

Today, three years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Horlivka is officially considered part of the Russian Federation. —Tetiana Kotelnykova, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for invasion

• abrasion
• caucasian
• equation
• eurasian
• evasion
• occasion
• persuasion
• asian
• suasion
• athanasian

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