Word of the Day

: January 27, 2019

foray

noun FOR-ay

What It Means

1 : a sudden or irregular invasion or attack for war or spoils : raid

2 : an initial and often tentative attempt to do something in a new or different field or area of activity

foray in Context

"Although she debuted a line of jewelry last year, this is her first foray into creating her own makeup line." — Hayley Schueneman, The New York Magazine, 28 Nov. 2018

"Edgardo Defortuna has been flying high for years, … erecting a string of ultra-luxury condo and hotel towers on his way to becoming one of Miami's most prominent developers. He recently announced his first foray outside South Florida, unveiling a design for a trio of luxury towers in Paraguay." — Andres Viglucci and Rene Rodriguez, The Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2018

Did You Know?

Foray comes from Middle English forrayen and probably traces back to an Anglo-French word that meant "raider" or "forager." It's related to the word forage, which commonly means "to wander in search of food (or forage)." Foray, in its earliest sense, referred to a raid for plunder. Relatively recently, foray began to take on a broader meaning. In a sense, foray still refers to a trip into a foreign territory. These days, though, looting and plundering needn't be involved in a foray. When you take a foray, you dabble in an area, occupation, or pastime that's new to you.