invade
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to enter forcefully as an enemy; go into with hostile intent.
Germany invaded Poland in 1939.
-
to enter like an enemy.
Locusts invaded the fields.
-
to enter as if to take possession.
to invade a neighbor's home.
-
to enter and affect injuriously or destructively, as disease.
viruses that invade the bloodstream.
-
to intrude upon.
to invade the privacy of a family.
-
to encroach or infringe upon.
to invade the rights of citizens.
-
to permeate.
The smell of baking invades the house.
-
to penetrate; spread into or over.
The population boom has caused city dwellers to invade the suburbs.
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to enter (a country, territory, etc) by military force
-
(tr) to occupy in large numbers; overrun; infest
-
(tr) to trespass or encroach upon (privacy, etc)
-
(tr) to enter and spread throughout, esp harmfully; pervade
-
(of plants, esp weeds) to become established in (a place to which they are not native)
Other Word Forms
- invadable adjective
- invader noun
- quasi-invaded adjective
- reinvade verb (used with object)
- uninvadable adjective
- uninvaded adjective
Etymology
Origin of invade
First recorded in 1485–95; from Latin invādere, from in- in- 2 + vādere “to go, walk” ( wade )
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.
A week after Olka and I returned from the country, Hitler invaded Poland.
From Literature
Baroness Lawrence told the court she had been forced to fight for justice with the police, who she said had also invaded her privacy to "try to use information against me".
From BBC
In 2022 he threatened to invade neighbouring Kenya, triggering a backlash from Kenyans who trolled him for his "reckless" comments.
From BBC
Since AI invaded social media, some of those influencers aren’t even human.
From Salon
Or what happened to them when the Germans invaded.
From Literature
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.
