trespass implies an unwarranted or unlawful intrusion.
hunters trespassing on farmland
encroach suggests gradual or stealthy entrance upon another's territory or usurpation of another's rights or possessions.
the encroaching settlers displacing the native peoples
infringe implies an encroachment clearly violating a right or prerogative.
infringing a copyright
invade implies a hostile and injurious entry into the territory or sphere of another.
accused of invading their privacy
Examples of invade in a Sentence
The troops invaded at dawn.
When tourists invade, the town is a very different place.
The cancer eventually invaded the brain.
Weeds had invaded the garden.
Bacteria invaded and caused an infection.
Recent Examples on the WebCommon Pests and Plant Diseases Scale and mealybugs are common pests that invade pineapple plants.—Grace Haynes, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2024 The 2003 Oscars took place three days after the U.S. invaded Iraq, weeks after stars like Matt Damon, George Clooney, Jessica Lange and Helen Hunt signed a letter that urged President George W. Bush not to attack the country.—Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2024 The United States had invaded Iraq just three days before, and, until that morning, there was still the possibility that the Oscars wouldn’t go on.—Sarah Bahr, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 The probe underscores how vital Starlink service has been to Ukraine’s war effort, providing the backbone of its digital communications on the battlefield since Russia invaded the country two years ago.—Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 The Israeli army this morning reiterated its plans to invade Rafah, saying hostages and four Hamas battalions remain in the city.—NBC News, 28 Feb. 2024 Ukraine applied to join the alliance seven months after Russia invaded the country, while Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Ukraine’s goal of joining NATO was a cause behind the invasion.—Ty Roush, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Then Israel declared independence, Egypt and Syria invaded the territory, and another four hundred thousand Arabs were driven out.—Shane Bauer, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 31,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed since Russia invaded two years ago.—Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 26 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'invade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Latin invādere "to enter with hostile intent, assault, attack," from in-in- entry 2 + vādere "to advance, go (quickly or purposefully)" — more at wade entry 1
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