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

The lyrics in the teaser center around Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and general American malaise, noting that nothing’s getting built in a country where people are too afraid to go outside.

Read more on Salon

After a seizure of drugs and guns, Wertz allegedly texted the person who lived in the house that was raided: “Crook wants to know what the hell happened.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Some pro-immigrant activists argue that humor is inappropriate during serious times when families face deportation and communities experience trauma from immigration raids.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“There’s a way to protect us from the contaminants … but with the raids, we have seen that there’s not much that we can actually do.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It’s unclear exactly how he was injured, but his lawyers say that Rovidio Marin had been at the car wash on Aug. 27, when immigration agents doing a “roving patrol” stormed in and raided it.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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