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 WebJemma Probert, who owns a fishing charter, told the ABC that she’s had to flick them off her boat, while commercial fisherman Brett Fallon told the news organization that every night, at least 100 invade his vessel.—Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2023 Then, on February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine.—Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Nov. 2023 Lion cubs are vulnerable to other predators such as leopards and hyenas, but often the main threat is from invading male lions.—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 Israel said its forces, which invaded the Gaza Strip nearly a month ago, would be stationed along cease-fire lines in sparsely populated areas, starting at 7 a.m. local time Friday (5 a.m.—WSJ, 24 Nov. 2023 The messiness of actually trying to enforce the terms of the truce has been on display since last year, when Russian troops invaded Ukraine days after the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.—Andrew Keh, New York Times, 23 Nov. 2023 In October, there were 57 new clinical cases of the drug-resistant, potentially lethal fungus that can invade a person's bloodstream, brain, heart or other organs, according to Nevada Division of Behavioral Health data.—Mary Hynes Las Vegas Review-Journal (tns), arkansasonline.com, 21 Nov. 2023 My grandmother was seven years old and living in Poland when Hitler invaded and started the Second World War.—Daniel Lombroso, The New Yorker, 15 Nov. 2023 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 See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'invade.' 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
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
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