foray

noun

for·ay | \ˈfȯr-ˌā,

ˈfär- also fȯ-ˈrā or fə-ˈrā\

plural forays

Definition of foray

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a sudden or irregular invasion or attack for war or spoils : raid a foray into enemy territory attempted sneak and surprise forays— D. 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

verb

forayed; foraying; forays

Definition of foray (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Other Words from foray Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about foray

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Did You Know?

Verb

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.

Examples of foray in a Sentence

Noun

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

After an unsuccessful foray into the smart home, Silk Labs developed on-device machine learning services. — James Vincent, The Verge, "Apple reportedly buys AI startup with privacy-conscious approach," 21 Nov. 2018 Especially random is the foray into ecological disaster in the Pacific ocean. — Toby Zinman, Philly.com, "John Jarboe and Bearded Ladies 'Go Down the Drain' at the Wilma Theater," 22 June 2018 All in all, this is a successful foray into packs by a company we never would have expected it from. — Graham Averill, Outside Online, "LifeProof Releases a Line of Backpacks," 24 May 2018 Among other things, this foray into Shogun World is actually fun. — Scott Meslow, GQ, "Westworld Season 2 Episode 5 Recap: Welcome to Shogun World, Motherf—kers!," 21 May 2018 The store is a foray by Amazon to grab more sales in the food and beverage categories, which are still dominated by brick-and-mortar sales. — Jason Del Rey, Recode, "Amazon Go — a cashierless version of 7-Eleven — is expanding to San Francisco and Chicago," 14 May 2018 His first foray into designing and manufacturing was a result of his frustration that his own bottom bracket spindle kept breaking. — Jessica Levy, azcentral, "Pivot Cycles brings passion and perfectionism to high-end bicycles," 14 May 2018 My first foray into activist work was not of my choice. — Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker, "William Barber Takes on Poverty and Race in the Age of Trump," 7 May 2018 The deal would be an aggressive and, some analysts say, risky foray by Walmart into one of the world’s last great open markets for online retailing. — Vindu Goel, Michael J. De La Merced And Michael Corkery, New York Times, "Walmart, With Billions to Spend, Seeks Flipkart E-Commerce Site in India," 26 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

To camp solo is to foray into wilderness that’s made wilder by the fact that one is alone in it. — Cheryl Strayed, Vogue, "Is Glamping Camping? Wild’s Cheryl Strayed Tackles the Question—in Style," 17 July 2018 The American Cancer Society partnership isn’t Lyft’s only foray into medical transportation. — Sy Mukherjee, Fortune, "Lyft Is Offering Free Rides to Cancer Patients in Major U.S. Cities," 21 June 2018 There are plenty of his signature otaku flowers, but also forays into art history, including homages to the British master of angst Francis Bacon and the Edo-period Japanese painter Soga Shohaku. — The New Yorker, "Takashi Murakami, Japan’s Answer to Andy Warhol," 18 May 2018 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

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.

History and Etymology for foray

Noun

see foray entry 2

Verb

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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