1
a
: a hostile or predatory incursion
b
: a surprise attack by a small force
2
a
: a brief foray outside one's usual sphere
b
: a sudden invasion by officers of the law
c
: a daring operation against a competitor
d
: the recruiting of personnel (such as faculty, executives, or athletes) from competing organizations
3
: the act of mulcting public money
4
: an attempt by professional operators to depress stock prices by concerted selling
raided; raiding; raids
: to conduct or take part in a raid
: to make a raid on
Examples of raid in a Sentence
Noun
They launched a raid against the enemy.
Weapons were also seized during the drug raid.
They caught five smugglers in the raid.
Verb
The village was raided often by neighboring tribes.
Police raided the house and found drugs.
Federal agents raided the warehouse, seizing stolen property and arresting five smugglers.
She raided her sister's closet to find something to wear to the party.
Recent Examples on the Web
Oriana Van Praag, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
No ban on mask-wearing federal agents and no requirements for judicial warrants for immigration raids were in the final deal, which could spark a new clash once Congress returns from spring break.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
Despite the White House’s tacit threat to raid churches on Christmas, the agents appeared to be taking the day off.
—Daniel Brook, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for raid
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Noun
At least four similar apps were axed in the following days, including Eyes Up, a platform that archived videos of arrests, raids, and abuses by immigration agents.
—Oriana Van Praag, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
No ban on mask-wearing federal agents and no requirements for judicial warrants for immigration raids were in the final deal, which could spark a new clash once Congress returns from spring break.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
Verb
Across the border in Kansas, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation raided 18 hemp stores across the state in an effort to end lax enforcement of laws against marijuana and THC in Kansas.
—Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
Despite the White House’s tacit threat to raid churches on Christmas, the agents appeared to be taking the day off.
—Daniel Brook, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for raid
Cite this Entry
“Raid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raid. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
raid
1 of 2 noun
: a sudden attack or invasion
raid
2 of 2 verb
: to make a raid on
raider
noun
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