incursion

[ in-kur-zhuhn, -shuhn ]

noun

1. a hostile entrance into or invasion of a place or territory, especially a sudden one; raid:

   The bandits made brief incursions on the village.

   Synonyms: attack, foray, sortie

2. a harmful inroad.
3. a running in:

   the incursion of sea water.

incursion

/ ɪnˈkɜːsɪv; ɪnˈkɜːʃən /

noun

1. a sudden invasion, attack, or raid
2. the act of running or leaking into; penetration

Derived Forms

• incursive, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of incursion¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin incursiōn- (stem of incursiō ) raid, equivalent to incurs ( us ) (past participle of incurrere to incur ) + -iōn- -ion; excursion

Word History and Origins

Origin of incursion¹

C15: from Latin incursiō onset, attack, from incurrere to run into; see incur

Example Sentences

Griswold was undeniably an incursion on democratic powers with a definite whiff of activism.

From The Daily Beast

And I remember once there was a Nicaraguan Sandinista incursion in Honduras and the Nicaraguans denied it.

From The Daily Beast

And at midnight Spanish time, the Nicaraguans said, ‘Okay, we had an incursion, but it was justified.’

From The Daily Beast

Much of the American left is critical of Israel, particularly since its incursion into Gaza.

From The Daily Beast

Now Israel is promising to expand its ground incursion in what it calls a second phase of its operation.

From The Daily Beast

"I never heard of anything of the kind in Ormond's history," said Wanhope, tolerant of the incursion.

From Project Gutenberg

Hence the incursion of a new weed is generally first noticed along the highway or the railroad.

From Project Gutenberg

It was the Radical quarter that was thus invaded, and its occupants were not disposed tamely to submit to the incursion.

From Project Gutenberg

Less brilliant, but more solid, were the advantages which he had to expect from an incursion into the territories of the League.

From Project Gutenberg

So Lætitia had her choice between an explicit statement of her meaning, and an unsupported incursion into the adagio.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• aggression
• attack
• foray
• infiltration
• inroad
• intrusion
• penetration
• raid