raid

[reyd]

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

/ 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

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

Other Word Forms

• counterraid noun
• unraided adjective
• raider noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of raid¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of raid¹

C15: Scottish dialect, from Old English rād military expedition; see _road

Example Sentences

Rio de Janeiro's state public defender's office said Wednesday that 132 people were killed in Tuesday's bloody police raids on the city's drug traffickers, more than double the current official toll.

Read more on Barron's

Police raids in Rio's favelas, where drugs gangs have a powerful presence, are a common occurrence.

Read more on Barron's

In late December, Gregory Bovino, who heads the Border Patrol’s El Centro region, led a three-day raid in rural Kern County, nabbing day laborers more than 300 miles from his typical territory.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Both countries have historically been key allies - but tensions spiked after hundreds of South Koreans were detained in an immigration raid in the US last month.

Read more on BBC

Since last week one of the most notorious hubs -- KK Park -- has been roiled by apparent raids, with hundreds fleeing over the frontier river to the Thai town of Mae Sot.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• assault 
• blockade 
• bomb 
• bombard 
• harass 
• invade 
• loot 
• overrun 
• plunder 
• ransack 
• rob 
• storm 
• strafe 
• swoop