invade

American  

[in-veyd] / ɪnˈveɪd /

verb (used with object)

invaded, invading

1. to enter forcefully as an enemy; go into with hostile intent.

   Germany invaded Poland in 1939.

   Synonyms:

   attack, penetrate

2. to enter like an enemy.

   Locusts invaded the fields.

   Synonyms:

   attack, penetrate

3. to enter as if to take possession.

   to invade a neighbor's home.

4. to enter and affect injuriously or destructively, as disease.

   viruses that invade the bloodstream.

5. to intrude upon.

   to invade the privacy of a family.

6. to encroach or infringe upon.

   to invade the rights of citizens.

7. to permeate.

   The smell of baking invades the house.

8. to penetrate; spread into or over.

   The population boom has caused city dwellers to invade the suburbs.

---

verb (used without object)

invaded, invading

1. to make an invasion.

   troops awaiting the signal to invade.

invade British  

/ ɪnˈveɪd /

verb

1. to enter (a country, territory, etc) by military force

2. (tr) to occupy in large numbers; overrun; infest

3. (tr) to trespass or encroach upon (privacy, etc)

4. (tr) to enter and spread throughout, esp harmfully; pervade

5. (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 )

Explanation

When you Invade, you aggressively take over or occupy a place. If a country's leader wants to gain more land, the military might invade a neighboring country. Not everything that invades is militaristic. Some things that invade are cultural, such as the phenomena of young, stylish people moving into a neighborhood that had never been thought of as cool before. In an instant, new restaurants and shops catering to the newcomers open and soon the area is overrun with people wearing, say, skinny jeans and complicated eyewear. Natives to the area lament, "This place has been invaded by hipsters."

Example Sentences

Myra P. Saefong and Claudia Assis considered the potential for additional disruption to energy commodity prices if the U.S. were to invade Iran’s Kharg Island.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

Citing sources in the Danish government, it reported that soldiers, medical supplies and blood were flown into Greenland in January to blow up key airport runways over fears that Trump would invade the arctic island.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

The less scrupulous voices also invade Beverly’s meticulous household like bulls in a suburban china shop.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

Experts will be working to establish whether something has changed that may make it more likely to spread or better able to invade the body or to get into brain tissues than other strains.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

Without a normally functioning liver the body would be disarmed — defenseless against the great variety of poisons that continually invade it.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• breach
• infect
• infest
• loot
• occupy
• overrun
• penetrate
• pillage
• plunder
• raid
• ravage
• storm
• violate