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home invasion

American  

noun

  1. an act or instance of entering an occupied residence with the intent to commit a burglary or other crime.


home invasion British  

noun

  1. aggravated burglary

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of home invasion

First recorded in 1840–45; current sense dates from 1910–15

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.

See Examples For:

At one point in the trial he likened his neighbor’s shoreline walks to a home invasion.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 9, 2026

Authorities had been responding to a call about a possible home invasion in the Indianapolis suburb of Whitestown.

From BBC Nov. 8, 2025

What could have been a mess of tired horror tropes is instead a refreshing and nasty take on a home invasion movie, a low-budget cousin to “You’re Next.”

From New York Times Mar. 29, 2024

Asian-American families are frequent targets for home invasion robberies in the Bay Area, according to a report.

From Washington Times Aug. 6, 2023

She headed straight for the living room and started talking to Fang, who was sitting on the couch looking all staggered by the home invasion.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

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