invade
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to enter forcefully as an enemy; go into with hostile intent.
Germany invaded Poland in 1939.
-
to enter like an enemy.
Locusts invaded the fields.
-
to enter as if to take possession.
to invade a neighbor's home.
-
to enter and affect injuriously or destructively, as disease.
viruses that invade the bloodstream.
-
to intrude upon.
to invade the privacy of a family.
-
to encroach or infringe upon.
to invade the rights of citizens.
-
to permeate.
The smell of baking invades the house.
-
to penetrate; spread into or over.
The population boom has caused city dwellers to invade the suburbs.
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to enter (a country, territory, etc) by military force
-
(tr) to occupy in large numbers; overrun; infest
-
(tr) to trespass or encroach upon (privacy, etc)
-
(tr) to enter and spread throughout, esp harmfully; pervade
-
(of plants, esp weeds) to become established in (a place to which they are not native)
Other Word Forms
- invadable adjective
- invader noun
- quasi-invaded adjective
- reinvade verb (used with object)
- uninvadable adjective
- uninvaded adjective
Etymology
Origin of invade
First recorded in 1485–95; from Latin invādere, from in- in- 2 + vādere “to go, walk” ( wade )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
South Korean stocks extended their recent nightmarish run on Monday after oil topped $100 a barrel for the first time since the aftermath of Russia invading Ukraine.
From Barron's
In Kuwait, the oil-rich monarchy whose industry was all but destroyed when Iraq invaded in 1990, officials suddenly had the problem of what to do with all their oil.
A lot of gas was burned in 2021, before Russia invaded Ukraine, to power air conditioners through one of the hottest summers on record, draining U.S. stockpiles and leaving prices vulnerable to a spike.
Kovalchuk was a crane operator in Ukraine for 15 years before moving to Poland as a refugee when Russia invaded her country in 2022.
From Barron's
"We do not intend to invade neighbouring countries."
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
