irruption

[ ih-ruhp-shuh n ]

/ ɪˈrʌp ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR irruption ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a breaking or bursting in; a violent incursion or invasion.

Ecology. a sudden increase in an animal population.

RELATED WORDS

invasion, attack, incursion

Nearby words

Origin of irruption

1570–80; < Latin irruptiōn- (stem of irruptiō), equivalent to irrupt(us), past participle of irrumpere to burst into (see ir-¹, rupture) + -iōn- -ion

Can be confusederuption irruption

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for irruption

The irruption of this motley crew with beat of drum, according to ancient custom, was the consummation of uproar and merriment.
The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.|Washington Irving
A notable project had been concerted by him and the Board of War for a winter irruption into Canada.
The Student's Life of Washington; Condensed from the Larger Work of Washington Irving|Washington Irving
The shock of the Scythian irruption cannot but have greatly injured and weakened Assyria.
History of Phoenicia|George Rawlinson
An irruption of youth inundated that garden intersected with a cross like a shroud.
Les Misrables|Victor Hugo

The period of this irruption from the north, it is not easy to determine.
Great Indian Chief of the West|Benjamin Drake

Word Origin and History for irruption

irruption

1570s, from Middle French irruption or directly from Latin irruptionem (nominative irruptio) "a breaking in, bursting in, invasion," noun of action from past participle stem of irrumpere, from assimilated form of in- "into, in, on, upon" (see in- (2)) + rumpere (see rupture (n.)). Frequently confused with eruption.

Medicine definitions for irruption

irruption

[ ĭ-rŭp′shən ]

n.

The act or process of breaking through to a surface.