RAIDS Synonyms: 155 Similar and Opposite Words

raids 1 of 2

noun

plural of raid

as in invasions

a sudden attack on and entrance into hostile territory repeated Viking raids wore down the defenses of the seaside village

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in attacks

the act or action of setting upon with force or violence an early morning raid by Federal agents took the smugglers in their hideout by surprise

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

raids

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of raid

as in invades

to enter for conquest or plunder a fox has been raiding the chicken coop, and now we're down to eight hens

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in assaults

to take sudden, violent action against the enemy tribe raided the village just before dawn, taking everyone by surprise

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of raids

Noun

After the raids ramped up in January, tens of thousands of former workers ended up in the capital, Phnom Penh, many sleeping in the streets. — ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026 American bombers aiming for Nantes’ port hit the city center instead, killing about 1,400 people and destroying more than 700 buildings in two raids. — Shahnaz Bashir, The Conversation, 4 Nov. 2026 Immigration enforcement has his pal Rosemary Garcia invested, too, specifically the ICE raids in Minneapolis. — Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026 Al-Mughayyir is one of the West Bank’s flash points, the site of fatal flare-ups between settlers and Palestinians and lethal military raids. — Suheir Hashimeh, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2026 Rodriguez mentioned he’s seen firsthand young Latino voters in his classrooms energized to vote against those condoning the raids. — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026 Workers often fear going to work or leaving their homes because of fears of ICE raids. — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2026 In December 2024, FBI agents and local police arrested the men during pre-dawn raids on their homes in Miami Beach and their parents’ home in Bal Harbour. — Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026 The Israeli military launched large-scale domestic military exercises on Sunday to counter surprise border infiltrations and ground raids across northern and central Israel, mobilizing multiple divisions and air assets amid rising regional tensions. — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Verb

In the character's final scene, as the DEA raids her rural compound, Laurie ties a rope around her neck and jumps from the roof of her home. — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026 In the meantime, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) finally raids Laurie's property, thanks to the intel Rue had been giving them. — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 1 June 2026 That figure has dwindled to around 3 percent as fewer candidates avail themselves of the money and Congress raids the fund for other things. — Adam Lashinsky, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2026 Some owls will hunt the wildlife that raids our garbage cans, like skunks and opossums. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026 November raids By mid-November, law enforcement had collected enough evidence to conduct early-morning raids, including on North Carey Street at the home of Shawn Oliver. — Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 2 Dec. 2025 Appalachian State’s victory at Michigan in 2007 remains the greatest example of what can happen when a good FCS team walks into your house and raids the fridge, and everything else, but leaves the dog. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025 Microsoft raids Google’s AI ranks Mustafa Suleyman, one of the founders of Google’s DeepMind, who is now head of Microsoft AI, is raiding his old company for talent, calling them personally on the phone with the promise that life at Microsoft has more of a startup vibe than Google does. — Diane Brady, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for raids

Noun

In a possible Supreme Court case, border guards’ invasions of privacy collide with the Fourth Amendment.

— George F. Will, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
In the nineteen-thirties—a decade of political assassinations, failed military coups, brutal invasions of China, and a hard-right reaction against the relative liberalism of the nineteen-twenties—the yakuza embraced the Zeitgeist with gusto.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of invasions

Noun

Attacks continued, despite a peace agreement The government struck a peace agreement with Tigrayan rebels in 2022, ending most hostilities, but attacks on healthcare continued.

— Durrie Bouscaren, NPR, 10 Nov. 2026
The last three-way talks, in Geneva nine months ago, also took place as attacks continued.

— Susie Blann, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of attacks

Verb

A couple of key injuries to defensive starters come as a high-flying offense led by quarterback Jared Goff invades Bank of America Stadium.

— Joseph Person, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Damage is often concentrated in the lower areas of the plant, as Verticillium invades hosts from their base, working upwards.

— Emily Leahy, Hartford Courant, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of invades

Verb

Chris Brown physically assaults then-girlfriend Rihanna Brown and then-girlfriend Rihanna had an argument that escalated into physical violence on the part of Brown.

— Alex Heigl, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2026
Anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

— Christina Fan, CBS News, 7 June 2026

Definition of assaults

Noun

These have been demonstrated by drone incursions into Poland, sabotage attacks linked to Russia, as well as Polish police units deployed to its border with Kaliningrad this month due to the threat of armed incursion by Moscow.

— Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2026
Europe has experienced a slew of other disruptions recently, such as attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems, drone incursions and mysterious triggers to alert apps.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of incursions

Noun

Ukraine can conduct localized offensives but not enough to shift the broader battlefield balance, despite mounting Russian losses.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
Only small offensives are possible Ukraine can conduct localized offensives but not enough to shift the broader battlefield balance, despite mounting Russian losses.

— Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of offensives

Verb

Tensions erupt at the United Nations Assembly when Field Marshal Stroheim storms out after taking offence.

— Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026
The puppeteering incenses Morgan, who storms into Cathcarts to demand his lawyers quit playing games and get on with litigation already.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of storms

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raiding

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“Raids.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raids. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of raids

noun

verb

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