foray

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

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

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

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forayer

noun

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Recent Examples of foray from the Web

Romiguier is also on the hunt for similar genetic adaptations that have helped some ants foray into the ruthless world of slavemaking.

— erica tennenhouse, Science | AAAS, "How blood-red ants became slave snatchers," 11 Apr. 2018
Casper forayed into the pillow and sheets scene in 2016 to pretty great reviews.

— danielle fox, ELLE Decor, "Trend Alert: The Most High-Tech Comforters And Sheets To Keep You Cool, Chic, And Comfy," 16 Feb. 2018
The actress Olivia Wilde, spokeswoman and model for H&M’s forays into sustainable fashion, was there wearing a new dress from the line.

— alden wicker, Newsweek, "Fast Fashion Is Creating an Environmental Crisis," 1 Sep. 2016
Schmidt also occasionally forayed into writing for Hollywood, composing scores for a film called A Texas Romance and the 1972 film Bad Company.

— katie kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, "Harvey Schmidt, Composer of Longest-Running Musical in History, Dies at 88," 1 Mar. 2018
Stewart suggests that Locke’s forays into poetry and fiction were stunted by his inability to speak openly about his sexuality.

— michael p. jeffries, New York Times, "The Philosopher Who Believed That Art Was Key to Black Liberation," 22 Feb. 2018
Marissa Jaret Winokur Winokur, a Tony-award winning singer and actress best known for her star turn in Hairspray, first forayed in reality TV on season 6 of Dancing With the Stars.

— michelle profis, Country Living, "Here's Your First Look at the New Cast of 'Celebrity Big Brother'," 29 Jan. 2018
René Pérez, Residente: Residente was the idea man behind most of Calle 13’s provocative videos, and just forayed into direction and production with his solo outing, Residente.

— leila cobo, Billboard, "Luis Fonsi, Carlos Vives and More: You Won't Believe What These Latin Stars Studied In College," 30 Aug. 2017
For more on Spotify, see Fortune's video: Having forayed into the music industry earlier in his career, Holt is well-positioned to develop the efforts of the online streaming service, which has struggled to develop beyond music.

— keshia hannam, Fortune, "Disney Executive Jumps Ship to Spotify to Oversee Video and Podcasts," 6 Sep. 2017

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

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