invasion

noun

in·​va·​sion in-ˈvā-zhən How to pronounce invasion (audio)
1
: an act of invading
especially : incursion of an army for conquest or plunder
2
: the incoming or spread of something usually hurtful

Examples of invasion in a Sentence

The enemy launched an invasion. The people live under a constant threat of invasion. The town is gearing up for the annual tourist invasion. protecting the house from insect invasion
Recent Examples on the Web The quandary over how to fill the ranks has confronted Zelensky with perhaps the greatest challenge to his leadership since the start of the February 2022 invasion. Siobhán O'Grady, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024 The region as a whole continues to battle the effects of sanctions on Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine, which pushed up energy and transport costs. Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 3 Mar. 2024 People walk past a mural in Kyiv's Podil neighbourhood, on Feb. 22, 2024, ahead of the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. TIME, 2 Mar. 2024 The full-scale invasion of Ukraine raised the stakes for public protest in Russia, introducing strict new criminal penalties for defaming the country’s military. Nathan Hodge, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 Israeli military officials said at least 242 soldiers have been killed since the ground invasion of Gaza began. NBC News, 29 Feb. 2024 Israel's War Cabinet on Monday was presented with the military's double-plan to evacuate Rafah before launching its invasion. Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2024 The attack prompted an Israeli military invasion of Gaza, where authorities say more than 26,000 Palestinians have been killed. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 The spreadsheet showed that the firm had a sample of 459GB of road-mapping data from Taiwan, the island of 23 million that China claims as its territory. Road data could prove useful to the Chinese military in the event of an invasion of Taiwan, analysts said. Aaron Schaffer, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'invasion.' 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

Middle English invasioun "assault, attack," borrowed from Anglo-French invasion, envasioun, borrowed from Late Latin invāsiōn-, invāsiō "attack, taking possession by violence," from Latin invādere "to enter with hostile intent, assault, attack" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at invade

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of invasion was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near invasion

Cite this Entry

“Invasion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invasion. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

invasion

noun
in·​va·​sion in-ˈvā-zhən How to pronounce invasion (audio)
: an act of invading
especially : entrance of an army into a country for conquest

Medical Definition

invasion

noun
in·​va·​sion in-ˈvā-zhən How to pronounce invasion (audio)
: the act of invading: as
a
: the penetration of the body of a host by a microorganism
b
: the spread and multiplication of a pathogenic microorganism or of malignant cells in the body of a host

Legal Definition

invasion

noun
in·​va·​sion in-ˈvā-zhən How to pronounce invasion (audio)
: the act of or an instance of invading

More from Merriam-Webster on invasion

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