1
a
: a hostile or predatory incursion
b
: a surprise attack by a small force
2
a
: a brief foray outside one's usual sphere
b
: a sudden invasion by officers of the law
c
: a daring operation against a competitor
d
: the recruiting of personnel (such as faculty, executives, or athletes) from competing organizations
3
: the act of mulcting public money
4
: an attempt by professional operators to depress stock prices by concerted selling
raided; raiding; raids
: to conduct or take part in a raid
: to make a raid on
Examples of raid in a Sentence
Noun
They launched a raid against the enemy.
Weapons were also seized during the drug raid.
They caught five smugglers in the raid.
Verb
The village was raided often by neighboring tribes.
Police raided the house and found drugs.
Federal agents raided the warehouse, seizing stolen property and arresting five smugglers.
She raided her sister's closet to find something to wear to the party.
Recent Examples on the Web
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
1 July 2026
Taylor was shot in her bed by Louisville police officers executing a no-knock raid and using a battering ram to break into her apartment.
—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2026
Emilee Hackney is an eighth-generation Appalachian who grew up in the coalfields of southwest Virginia in a family so impoverished her parents occasionally raided her and her brother’s piggy banks to pay the mortgage and buy groceries.
—
Suzanne Van Atten,
AJC.com,
28 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for raid
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
After Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles, several people filed a lawsuit in July 2025 alleging authorities questioned them without justification.
—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
1 July 2026
Taylor was shot in her bed by Louisville police officers executing a no-knock raid and using a battering ram to break into her apartment.
—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
Verb
Kerr’s home in Florida was raided by the FBI on the same day.
—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2026
Emilee Hackney is an eighth-generation Appalachian who grew up in the coalfields of southwest Virginia in a family so impoverished her parents occasionally raided her and her brother’s piggy banks to pay the mortgage and buy groceries.
—
Suzanne Van Atten,
AJC.com,
28 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for raid
Cite this Entry
“Raid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raid. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
raid
1 of 2 noun
: a sudden attack or invasion
raid
2 of 2 verb
: to make a raid on
raider
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
