Standard Lemma guide

incursion

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɪŋˈkɜː(ɹ)ʒən/
  • /ɪŋˈkɜː(ɹ)ʃən/
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)ʒən
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)ʃən
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N K ER1 ZH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A military action consisting of armed forces of one geopolitical entity entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of destruction, plunder, or bodily harm rather than an intent to conquer territory or alter the established government; contrast invasion in its narrow sense.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An aggressive movement into somewhere; an invasion in the general sense.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A function hosted within an educational institution, especially by or for students, for recreation, research, education or a display of works.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the act of entering some territory or domain (often in large numbers)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the incursion of television into the American living room

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: entrance, entering, entry, ingress, incoming

5

noun

Meaning 5

the mistake of incurring liability or blame

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mistake, error, fault

6

noun

Meaning 6

an attack that penetrates into enemy territory

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: penetration

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: attack, onslaught, onset, onrush

Narrower terms: interpenetration, breakthrough, invasion, infiltration, foray, raid, maraud

History

Etymology

From Middle English, borrowed from Old French, from Latin incursiō.

Across languages

Translations

30 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: توغل — aggressive movement
  • Armenian: ասպատակություն (aspatakutʻyun) — aggressive movement
  • Armenian: արշավանք (aršavankʻ) — aggressive movement
  • Armenian: ներխուժում (nerxužum) — aggressive movement
  • Armenian: հարձակում (harjakum) — aggressive movement
  • Bulgarian: нашествие (našestvie) — aggressive movement
  • Bulgarian: нахлуване (nahluvane) — aggressive movement
  • Bulgarian: набег (nabeg) — aggressive movement
  • Czech: vpád — aggressive movement
  • Czech: vtrhnutí — aggressive movement
  • Danish: indtrængen — aggressive movement
  • Finnish: tunkeutuminen — aggressive movement
  • French: incursion — aggressive movement
  • French: invasion — aggressive movement
  • German: Einfall — aggressive movement
  • German: Eindringen — aggressive movement
  • Ancient Greek: εἰσβολή (eisbolḗ) — aggressive movement
  • Hindi: घुसपैठ (ghuspaiṭh) — aggressive movement
  • Irish: ruathar — aggressive movement
  • Korean: 침입 (chimip) — aggressive movement
  • Latin: incursiō — aggressive movement
  • Macedonian: у́пад (úpad) — aggressive movement
  • Russian: вторже́ние (vtoržénije) — aggressive movement
  • Russian: наше́ствие (našéstvije) — aggressive movement
  • Russian: набе́г (nabég) — aggressive movement
  • Spanish: incursión — aggressive movement
  • Ukrainian: вто́ргнення (vtórhnennja) — aggressive movement
  • Ukrainian: набіг (nabih) — aggressive movement
  • Ukrainian: наліт (nalit) — aggressive movement
  • Ukrainian: напад (napad) — aggressive movement