invasion
Americannoun
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an act or instance of invading or entering as an enemy, especially by an army.
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the entrance or advent of anything troublesome or harmful, as disease.
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entrance as if to take possession or overrun.
the annual invasion of the resort by tourists.
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infringement by intrusion.
noun
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the act of invading with armed forces
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any encroachment or intrusion
an invasion of rats
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the onset or advent of something harmful, esp of a disease
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pathol the spread of cancer from its point of origin into surrounding tissues
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the movement of plants to a new area or to an area to which they are not native
Other Word Forms
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing invasion
Persepolis
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Franklin D. Roosevelt, "A Date That Will Live In Infamy" (1941)
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Excerpt from "The Diary of Anne Frank"
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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.
Their ties have deepened since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Putin visiting Beijing every year since.
From Barron's • May 19, 2026
This is perhaps best exemplified by a quote from Tommy Ramone, whose parents survived the Holocaust and left Hungary after the Soviet invasion in the 1950s: “People don’t associate punk and Jews.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
As the world’s most important semiconductor hub, the threat of invasion or even just speculation about it would be extremely disruptive for markets.
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
That benchmark briefly topped $140 a metric ton in mid-March, the highest level since late 2024, though far below the $440 reached in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
He meant he was going if there was an invasion.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
