incursion
Americannoun
-
a sudden invasion, attack, or raid
-
the act of running or leaking into; penetration
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of incursion
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin incursiōn- (stem of incursiō ) raid, equivalent to incurs ( us ) (past participle of incurrere to incur ) + -iōn- -ion; see excursion
Explanation
When an army crosses a border into another country for battle, they are making an incursion into enemy territory. An incursion is an invasion as well as an attack. Incursion can also be used to describe other things that rush in like an army such as an invasive species into a new region or floodwaters entering your home. When an airplane heads onto a runway it is not supposed to land on, risking airport safety, it is known as a runway incursion. And an incursion of cold air could make September feel like December.
Vocabulary lists containing incursion
Lord of the Flies
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Son of Neptune
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Texas v. Johnson (1989)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
The river’s retreat makes it vulnerable to the incursion of sea water from the Adriatic, posing a threat to crops.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Even a small incursion could doom the alliance if it lacks the political will to respond with force.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Here the enduring wisdom of Indian spiritual philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti, Ojai’s informal patron saint, serves even to hold a recent incursion of ultra-rich to account.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
"We must be realistic about the likelihood of an incursion here, and plan accordingly."
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
Perhaps food had appeared where at the last incursion there had been none; bird droppings, insects perhaps, any of the strewn detritus of landward life.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
Aerial incursions into other countries have become increasingly common in recent months.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Fire officials warned that "unauthorized" drone incursions into restricted airspace above wildfires were forcing the grounding of helicopters and other aircraft fighting the blazes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
Huang is protective of his company’s market share in AI chips, which is estimated at north of 90%, and sensitive about incursions by rivals, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
I tolerate these brief incursions, which are far fewer than the ads that load up individual leagues’ official apps.
From Slate ● Jun. 10, 2026
This chapter and the next will explore how two different Indian societies, the Wampanoag and the Inka, reacted to the incursions from across the sea.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
