foray

1 of 2

noun

for·​ay ˈfȯr-ˌā How to pronounce foray (audio)
ˈfär-,
 also  fȯ-ˈrā,
 or  fə-ˈrā
plural forays
1
: a sudden or irregular invasion or attack for war or spoils : raid
a foray into enemy territory
attempted sneak and surprise foraysD. D. Eisenhower
2
: an initial and often tentative attempt to do something in a new or different field or area of activity
the novelist's foray into nonfiction
Torres spearheaded his family's first foray into international wine production by purchasing land in Chile's Curicó Valley in 1979.Michael Schachner

foray

2 of 2

verb

forayed; foraying; forays
1
intransitive : to make a raid or brief invasion
forayed into enemy territory
Nicaraguan troops were foraying along the frontier …George Russell
2
intransitive : to do or attempt something outside one's accustomed sphere : to enter into a new or different field or area of activity
Tesla, known for its high-end electric cars, has forayed into the trucking industry with a Nov. 16 reveal of its latest prototype, the Tesla Semi.Meagan Nichols
3
transitive archaic : to ravage in search of spoils : pillage
forayer noun
plural forayers

Did you know?

For centuries, foray referred only to a sudden or irregular invasion or attack, but in the late 19th century it began to venture into gentler semantic territory. While the newer sense of foray still involves a trek into a foreign territory, the travel is figurative: when you make this kind of foray, you dabble in an area, occupation, or pastime that’s new to you. Take the particularly apt example (stay tuned) of mushroom hunting. The likely ancestor of foray is an Anglo-French word referring to the violent sort who do invasion forays, but that word could also refer to a forager—that is, one who wanders in search of food. (Forage has the same etymological source.) Interestingly, foray has seen a resurgence of use connected to its foraging roots, as evidenced by the growing popularity of mycophile-led mushroom “forays” that have been lately popping up like toadstools.

Examples of foray in a Sentence

Noun a foray into enemy territory We made a quick foray into town for some supplies. Vikings foraying into the village
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Since this is its first foray into the winter holiday department, the store will evaluate sales to determine if the holiday spirit will endure. Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Oct. 2024 Is Blomkamp leaving Hollywood behind? Off the Grid isn’t his first foray into the world of video games, either. Issy Van Der Velde, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2024
Verb
The Roman jeweler first forayed into watchmaking with the time-only Serpenti in the 1940s but has since expanded into producing more avant-garde timepieces with complicated movements. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 17 Sep. 2024 The movie marks Daniels’ first, and admittedly last, foray into the horror genre, though the producer and director sees the project — which also stars Mo’Nique, Glenn Close, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Caleb McLaughlin — as more of a story about faith than fearing dark, supernatural beings. Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 See all Example Sentences for foray 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foray.' 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

Verb and Noun

Middle English forrayen, from Anglo-French forreyer, foreer, probably back-formation from *forrier, *forreour forager, raider, from fuerre, foer provender — more at forage

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of foray was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near foray

Cite this Entry

“Foray.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foray. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

foray

verb
for·​ay
ˈfȯr-ˌā
: to raid especially in order to steal : pillage
foray noun

More from Merriam-Webster on foray

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