incursion

American  

[in-kur-zhuhn, -shuhn] / ɪnˈkɜr ʒən, -ʃən /

noun

1. a hostile entrance into or invasion of a place or territory, especially a sudden one; raid.

   The bandits made brief incursions on the village.

   Synonyms:

   attack, foray, sortie

2. a harmful inroad.

3. a running in.

   the incursion of sea water.

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incursion British  

/ ɪnˈkɜːsɪv, ɪnˈkɜːʃən /

noun

1. a sudden invasion, attack, or raid

2. the act of running or leaking into; penetration

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Other Word Forms

• incursive adjective

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; 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.

Example Sentences

Completely marginalized during the administration’s Venezuela incursion, she was not even being invited to the White House Situation Room to observe the operation.

From Salon • Mar. 22, 2026

It is America’s largest Middle East incursion since Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003—and so far, the stock market back home has shrugged it off.

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

Now, the threat of an incursion by U.S. forces pushed Mexican authorities to take action, the source said.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

Last month, a U.S. incursion into Caracas culminated in the capture of Venezuela’s former President Nicolás Maduro.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

The play she saw as a gentle incursion into another culture we played as a comic romp with great effect.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

Related Words

• aggression
• attack
• foray
• infiltration
• inroad
• intrusion
• penetration
• raid