invasion

noun

in·​va·​sion in-ˈvā-zhən 

1

: an act of invading

especially : incursion of an army for conquest or plunder

2

: the incoming or spread of something usually hurtful

Synonyms of invasion

• incursion
• raid

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

Baldoni has maintained his innocence and filed his own $400 million lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds, claiming civil extortion, defamation, breach of contract, and invasion of privacy. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Jan. 2026

While federal officials weigh possible civil rights violations over the invasion of a Minnesota church service on Sunday, leftist Christian leaders are cheering the anti-ICE protesters, casting the disruption of worship as a justified act of judgment. —Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 20 Jan. 2026

This leads to a de facto seizure without outright invasion, placing Denmark in a precarious position and jeopardizing the NATO alliance. —Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026

Europe has some of the highest energy costs in the world, which rose after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the subsequent sanctions. —Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2026

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

Phrases Containing invasion

• counter-invasion
• invasion of (someone's) privacy
• pre-invasion

Rhymes for invasion

• abrasion
• caucasian
• equation
• eurasian
• evasion
• occasion
• persuasion
• asian
• suasion
• athanasian

Kids Definition

invasion

noun

in·​va·​sion in-ˈvā-zhən 

: an act of invading

especially : entrance of an army into a country for conquest

Medical Definition

invasion

noun

in·​va·​sion in-ˈvā-zhən 

: 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 

: the act of or an instance of invading