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Synonyms

raid

American  
[reyd] / reɪd /

noun

  1. a sudden assault or attack, as upon something to be seized or suppressed.

    a police raid on a gambling ring.

    Synonyms:
    seizure
  2. Military. a sudden attack on the enemy, as by air or by a small land force.

    Synonyms:
    inroad, invasion, incursion
  3. a vigorous, large-scale effort to lure away a competitor's employees, members, etc.

  4. Finance. a concerted attempt of speculators to force stock prices down.


verb (used with object)

  1. to make a raid on.

  2. to steal from; loot.

    a worry that the investment fund is being raided.

  3. to entice away from another.

    Large companies are raiding key personnel from smaller companies.

  4. to indulge oneself by taking from, especially in order to eat.

    raiding the cookie jar.

verb (used without object)

  1. to engage in a raid.

raid British  
/ reɪd /

noun

  1. a sudden surprise attack

    an air raid

  2. a surprise visit by police searching for criminals or illicit goods

    a fraud-squad raid

  3. See also bear raid dawn raid

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to make a raid against (a person, thing, etc)

  2. to sneak into (a place) in order to take something, steal, etc

    raiding the larder

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • counterraid noun
  • raider noun
  • unraided adjective

Etymology

Origin of raid

1375–1425; Middle English (north and Scots ) ra ( i ) de, Old English rād expedition, literally, a riding; doublet of road

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.

After Zion was raided and its physical church was shut in 2018, it increasingly took its ministry online while establishing small-scale branches around the country.

From The Wall Street Journal

Afroman takes the stand in a civil lawsuit brought against him by sheriff’s deputies he featured in mocking videos after they raided his home in 2022.

From Los Angeles Times

They received reports from parents and other shopkeepers, they said, adding that during raids some of the shops "had pull out-beds and bags with women's make-up in it".

From BBC

US rapper Afroman has defeated seven sheriff's deputies in a court case after they sued him for releasing songs and videos that mocked them and a raid they carried out on his home.

From BBC

It specializes in conducting raids by sea and by air.

From The Wall Street Journal