invasion

American  

[in-vay-zhuhn] / ɪnˈveɪ ʒən /

noun

• invasions
  plural

1. an act or instance of invading or entering as an enemy, especially by an army.

2. the entrance or advent of anything troublesome or harmful, as disease.

3. entrance as if to take possession or overrun.

   the annual invasion of the resort by tourists.

4. infringement by intrusion.

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invasion British  

/ ɪnˈveɪʒən /

noun

1. the act of invading with armed forces

2. any encroachment or intrusion

   an invasion of rats

3. the onset or advent of something harmful, esp of a disease

4. pathol the spread of cancer from its point of origin into surrounding tissues

5. the movement of plants to a new area or to an area to which they are not native

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reinvasion
  noun
• preinvasion
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• invasions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of invasion

1400–50; late Middle English < Late Latin invāsīon- (stem of invāsiō ), equivalent to invās ( us ), past participle of invādere + -iōn- -ion; see invade

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Explanation

An invasion is the movement of an army into a region, usually in a hostile attack that's part of a war or conflict. World history is full of descriptions of invasions. One country's army plundering or taking over a city or piece of land in another country is an invasion. You can call other mass movements invasions as well, like a horrifying invasion of your kitchen by cockroaches, or the invasion of a stadium by excited soccer fans. A common phrase is "invasion of privacy," which means an unfair intrusion into someone's personal space or private information.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

invasion invasions

Our printer was in China, and we had mentioned Taiwan, a democratically self-governed island of 23 million people that the government of China regards as its own and threatens to annex through military invasion.

From Slate ● Nov. 14, 2026

At first, signs pointed to a home invasion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026

That compared to the previous largest spike of 59% in March 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026

Russia has turned to North Korea for support throughout invasion.

From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2026

England on the brink of German invasion, for one thing.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

It was an era of climate change, supply chain collapse, earthquakes, famine, disease, migration, drought and armed incursions and invasions.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

The search for the source of the medbed conspiracy took me into the world of scammers and crystals and alien invasions and broken families and sci-fi movie sets and the Arizona desert.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

Last time a marine heatwave hit South Australia and Tasmania, there were starving penguins, fish kills, suffocating algae outbreaks, and jellyfish invasions.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Castro is remembered by supporters as having guided Cuba through multiple crises -- US-backed invasions, embargoes, assassination plots and the intense hardship caused by the collapse of Cuba's main ally and benefactor, the Soviet Union.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Rumors run rampant—there are false reports of parachute invasions, gas attacks, and spy infiltrations.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

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Related Words

• aggression
• assault
• breach
• incursion
• infiltration
• infringement
• intrusion
• offensive
• onslaught
• raid
• violation

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