invade

verb

in·​vade in-ˈvād 

invaded; invading

transitive verb

1

: to enter for conquest or plunder

2

: to encroach upon : infringe

3

a

: to spread over or into as if invading : permeate

doubts invade his mind

b

: to affect injuriously and progressively

gangrene invades healthy tissue

invader noun

Synonyms

• foray (into)
• overrun
• raid

Choose the Right Synonym for invade

trespass, encroach, infringe, invade mean to make inroads upon the property, territory, or rights of another.

trespass implies an unwarranted or unlawful intrusion.

hunters trespassing on farmland

encroach suggests gradual or stealthy entrance upon another's territory or usurpation of another's rights or possessions.

the encroaching settlers displacing the native peoples

infringe implies an encroachment clearly violating a right or prerogative.

infringing a copyright

invade implies a hostile and injurious entry into the territory or sphere of another.

accused of invading their privacy

Examples of invade in a Sentence

The troops invaded at dawn.

When tourists invade, the town is a very different place.

The cancer eventually invaded the brain.

Weeds had invaded the garden.

Bacteria invaded and caused an infection.

Recent Examples on the Web

And if a virus does manage to invade a host cell, it will be targeted for destruction by memory T cells. —WIRED, 19 Nov. 2023

Tarawa was one of the most fortified atolls America would invade in the Pacific during the war. —Natasha Frost Maud Bodoukian Meyrant, New York Times, 18 Nov. 2023

Having a strong immune system helps your body fight off invading germs and infections and is key to staying healthy, especially during cold and flu season. —Arden Fanning Andrews, Vogue, 17 Nov. 2023

Paul becomes famous as the anonymous Area Man inexplicably invading everyone’s unconscious, the kind of notoriety that can’t help but lead to a particular kind of celebrity. —Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2023

Over 100,000 people took to the streets in Paris on Sunday to protest the rise in antisemitism taking place since Oct. 7, when Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel to execute a deadly massacre. —Greg Wehner, Fox News, 12 Nov. 2023

Since the Hamas massacre of October 7th, Benjamin Netanyahu’s government—in addition to invading Gaza—has, with its allies in the settler movement, become increasingly aggressive in the West Bank. —Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2023

The incongruity is further heightened by the fact that the CCP, after invading Tibet in the 1950s, was responsible for destroying nearly all of Tibet’s approximately 6,000 Tibetan monasteries and nunneries and disrobing almost all its monks and nuns. —Lobsang Sangay, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2023

Filming took place there as well as in Budapest, Paris and Villefranche-de-Rouergue in southern France just as Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, explains Knight. —Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Nov. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin invādere "to enter with hostile intent, assault, attack," from in- in- entry 2 + vādere "to advance, go (quickly or purposefully)" — more at wade entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing invade

• invade someone's privacy
• invade someone's space

• invade someone's privacy
• invade someone's space

Kids Definition

invade

verb

in·​vade in-ˈvād 

invaded; invading

1

: to enter for conquest or plunder

2

: to disturb or intrude upon

invaded their privacy

3

: to spread over or into usually harmfully

bacteria invading tissue

invader noun

Medical Definition

invade

transitive verb

in·​vade in-ˈvād 

invaded; invading

1

: to enter and spread within either normally (as in development) or abnormally (as in infection) often with harmful effects

protect the body from invading viruses

branches of a nerve invade the skin area

2

: to affect injuriously and progressively

gangrene invades healthy tissue

invader

-ˈvād-ər 

noun

Legal Definition

invade

transitive verb

in·​vade

invaded; invading

1

: to encroach upon : infringe

invading a constitutional right

2

: to make payments out of (a fund from which payments are not ordinarily made)

authorized the trustee to invade the principal for educational expenses