foray

play

verb for·ay \ˈfȯr-ˌā, ˈfär- also fȯ-ˈrā or fə-ˈrā\

Definition of foray

transitive verb
archaic : to ravage in search of spoils : pillage
intransitive verb
: to make a raid or brief invasion forayed into enemy territory

forayer

noun

See foray defined for kids

foray was our Word of the Day on 11/05/2008. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of foray from the Web

The party of small government and individual liberty must act as such and condemn the Justice Department’s foray back into the murky, abusive, and authoritarian waters of asset forfeiture.

— tiana lowe, National Review, "On Civil Asset Forfeiture, Jeff Sessions Is the New Kamala Harris," 20 July 2017
Since March 2016, Hackett has been running Ford Smart Mobility, a subsidiary that coordinates Ford’s forays into robot cars and ride sharing.

— jeff green, Bloomberg.com, "CEO Who Sold Furniture to Steve Jobs Now Aims Ford at the Future," 22 May 2017
President Trump’s forays into Middle East diplomacy have been as unpredictable as the rest of his presidency and his first visit to Israel as Commander-in-Chief promises more of the same.

— matthew kalman / jerusalem, Time, "The 6 Biggest Questions Facing President Donald Trump in Israel," 22 May 2017
In the George W. Bush era, Lucas’ lyrics forayed into political protest.

— jay trucker, baltimoresun.com, "Rock duo Local H brings the fuzz and feedback to Annapolis," 27 Apr. 2017
Last night, J Brand celebrated their fall collection (and foray into ready to wear) at Saks Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

— harper's bazaar staff, Harper's BAZAAR, "Joanna Hillman & Alexandra Spencer Toast J Brand RTW," 21 Sep. 2012

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'foray.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of foray

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

foray

noun for·ay

Definition of foray

1 : a sudden or irregular invasion or attack for war or spoils : raid attempted sneak and surprise forays — D. D. Eisenhower
2 : a brief excursion or attempt especially outside one's accustomed sphere the novelist's foray into nonfiction our foray into the rain forest

See foray defined for English-language learners

Examples of foray in a Sentence

a foray into enemy territory
We made a quick foray into town for some supplies.

Recent Examples of foray from the Web

DeepSeeVR: Orca 360, which opened this month only at the San Diego park, represents SeaWorld’s latest foray into virtual reality.

— lori weisberg, sandiegouniontribune.com, "SeaWorld killer whales come to life in VR goggles," 19 July 2017
While Dadeland Mall is MyPark’s first foray into Florida malls, MyPark is in use at a handful of other malls including Simon’s Lenox Square in Atlanta and Westfield Garden State Plaza, New Jersey’s largest mall.

— nancy dahlberg, miamiherald, "Heading to Dadeland Mall? New app reserves you a prime parking spot," 13 July 2017
Earlier this month Buzzfeed's Product Labs revealed that its first foray into the beauty would be the Glamspin, a fidget spinner lip balm.

— rachel nussbaum, Glamour, "Fidget Spinner Lip Balm Is Coming to Sephora, Because the Internet Has Won," 13 July 2017
Refinery29 reminds us that a few months ago, the company debuted the Iso, which was their first foray into the more athletic-looking kicks.

— avery matera, Teen Vogue, "Vans Ultra Range Shoe Marks a New Style Direction for the Brand," 11 July 2017
After a month of forays around my hilly city, the battery never ran out, which is a good thing.

— stephanie pearson, WIRED, "Review: Specialized Turbo Vado 6.0," 11 July 2017
Another recent foray took DeBolt to Murphy in Owyhee County.

— anna webb, idahostatesman, "It’s not too late. Higher elevations in Idaho still offer a wildflower show," 10 July 2017
The Atlas is Volkswagen’s first (and long-awaited) foray into the three-row crossover rodeo and is a completely new model from north to south.

— drew dorian, Car and Driver, "2018 Volkswagen Atlas," 6 July 2017
My dad was not particularly happy with my foray into cannabis initially… but that changed.

— sam wood, Philly.com, "Lindy Snider: Working to dispel the fear of marijuana," 5 July 2017

Did You Know?

Foray comes from Middle English forrayen and probably traces back to an Anglo-French word that meant "raider" or "forager." It's related to the word forage, which usually means "to wander in search of food or forage." A foray, in its earliest sense, was a raid for plunder. Relatively recently, foray began to take on a broader meaning. In a sense, a foray is still a trip into a foreign territory. These days, though, looting and plundering needn't be involved in a foray. When you take a foray, you dabble in an area, occupation, or pastime that's new to you.