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 Biden himself seems to be growing more disturbed by the crisis—in particular, by Israel’s threat of an imminent invasion of Rafah, the city in southern Gaza where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering. Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2024 Since then, a mix of factors, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, extreme weather related to climate change and a massive Avian flu outbreak, have kept costs elevated. Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 The retailer, which owns several brands including its flagship Reserved label, suspended its fast-growing Russian operations in March 2022 — in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine — and sold its Russian unit to a Chinese consortium two months later. Konrad Krasuski, Fortune Europe, 15 Mar. 2024 Russia has conducted long-range strikes on Ukraine since its Feb. 2022 invasion, focusing on particular targets at different junctures. Fox News, 14 Mar. 2024 Kulikov is one of hundreds of thousands of Russians who have fled the country since President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, ballooning the population of Russian nationals around the world. Anna Chernova, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 Established in 2004 amid the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Guernica was founded as an unabashedly antiwar, anti-imperialist publication, according to one of its founders, Josh Jones. Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 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

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 28 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!