incursion
Americannoun
-
a sudden invasion, attack, or raid
-
the act of running or leaking into; penetration
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of incursion
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin incursiōn- (stem of incursiō ) raid, equivalent to incurs ( us ) (past participle of incurrere to incur ) + -iōn- -ion; see excursion
Explanation
When an army crosses a border into another country for battle, they are making an incursion into enemy territory. An incursion is an invasion as well as an attack. Incursion can also be used to describe other things that rush in like an army such as an invasive species into a new region or floodwaters entering your home. When an airplane heads onto a runway it is not supposed to land on, risking airport safety, it is known as a runway incursion. And an incursion of cold air could make September feel like December.
Vocabulary lists containing incursion
Lord of the Flies
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The Son of Neptune
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Texas v. Johnson (1989)
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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.
And Alien Rogue Incursion, based on the classic sci-fi series, sees players navigate a wrecked spacecraft, trying to avoid one of the iconic xenomorphs.
From BBC • May 31, 2024
Kamala also gains approval from Captain Marvel herself after fighting alongside the Avengers amid a cosmic Incursion.
From Salon • Jun. 7, 2022
Adrian Veidt regains the wealth he lost in the aftermath of the Dimensional Incursion Event by licensing the technology to clone pets.
From Slate • Dec. 16, 2019
Thou wilt see a funny passage, and yet a true History, of George Dyer's Aquatic Incursion, in the next "London."
From The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 6 Letters 1821-1842 by Lamb, Mary
"But you give Medart credit for ending the Sandeman Incursion; I understood it took five Rangers."
From A Matter of Honor A Terran Empire novel by Wilson, Ann
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.
