Standard Lemma guide

invade

verb · 9 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.

  • /ɪnˈveɪd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • homophone: inveighed
  • rhymes with -eɪd
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N V EY1 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To move into.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • Under some circumstances police are allowed to invade a person's privacy.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To enter by force, usually in order to conquer.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • Argentinian troops invaded the Falkland Islands in 1982.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To infest or overrun.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • The picnic was invaded by ants.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To attack; to infringe; to encroach on; to violate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The king invaded the rights of the people.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To make an unwelcome or uninvited visit or appearance, usually with an intent to cause trouble or some other unpleasant situation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

march aggressively into another's territory by military force for the purposes of conquest and occupation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: occupy

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: attack, assail

Narrower terms: infest, overrun

7

verb

Meaning 7

penetrate or assault, in a harmful or injurious way

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The cancer had invaded her lungs

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: interpenetrate, permeate

8

verb

Meaning 8

to intrude upon, infringe, encroach on, violate

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • This new colleague invades my territory
  • The neighbors intrude on your privacy

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: intrude on, obtrude upon, encroach upon

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: enter, come in, get into, get in, go into, go in, move into

Narrower terms: foray into, raid

9

verb

Meaning 9

occupy in large numbers or live on a host

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the Kudzu plant infests much of the South and is spreading to the North

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: overrun, infest

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: inhabit

History

Etymology

From Latin invādō (“enter, invade”).

Across languages

Translations

198 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: урыва́цца (uryvácca) — to move into
  • Belarusian: уварва́цца (uvarvácca) — to move into
  • Bulgarian: нахлу́вам (nahlúvam) — to move into
  • Bulgarian: нахлу́я (nahlúja) — to move into
  • Catalan: envair — to move into
  • Danish: invadere — to move into
  • Danish: krænke — to move into
  • Finnish: tunkeutua — to move into
  • French: envahir — to move into
  • Galician: invadir — to move into
  • German: eindringen — to move into
  • German: verletzen — to move into
  • Hungarian: betör — to move into
  • Hungarian: behatol — to move into
  • Hungarian: betolakodik — to move into
  • Hungarian: benyomul — to move into
  • Italian: invadere — to move into
  • Latin: invādō — to move into
  • Latin: introeō — to move into
  • Lithuanian: įsibrauti — to move into
  • Māori: maoho — to move into
  • Portuguese: invadir — to move into
  • Russian: вторга́ться (vtorgátʹsja) — to move into
  • Russian: вто́ргнуться (vtórgnutʹsja) — to move into
  • Spanish: invadir — to move into
  • Swedish: invadera — to move into
  • Ukrainian: вдира́тися (vdyrátysja) — to move into
  • Ukrainian: вде́ртися (vdértysja) — to move into
  • Albanian: pushtoj — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Albanian: zaptoj — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Arabic: غَزَا (ḡazā) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Arabic: اِجْتاحَ (ijtāḥa) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Armenian: ներխուժել (nerxužel) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Azerbaijani: işğal etmək — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Azerbaijani: zəbt etmək — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Basque: inbaditu — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Belarusian: урыва́цца (uryvácca) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Belarusian: уварва́цца (uvarvácca) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Belarusian: напада́ць (napadácʹ) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Belarusian: напа́сці (napásci) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Bengali: আক্রমণ করা (akromon kora) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Bulgarian: нахлу́вам (nahlúvam) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Bulgarian: нахлу́я (nahlúja) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Bulgarian: завладя́вам (zavladjávam) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Bulgarian: завладе́я (zavladéja) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Bulgarian: напа́дам (napádam) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Bulgarian: напа́дна (napádna) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Catalan: envair — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 入侵 (rùqīn) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 侵入 (qīnrù) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 侵略 (qīnlüè) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 侵犯 (qīnfàn) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 侵占 (qīnzhàn) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 侵攻 (qīngōng) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Czech: vtrhnout — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Czech: napadat — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Czech: napadnout — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Danish: invadere — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Danish: overfalde — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Dutch: binnenvallen — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Dutch: aanvallen — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Esperanto: invadi — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Estonian: sisse tungima — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Finnish: hyökätä — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • French: envahir — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Galician: invadir — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Georgian: ჩარევა (čareva) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Georgian: შესევა (šeseva) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Georgian: შემოსევა (šemoseva) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • German: überfallen — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • German: einmarschieren — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • German: einfallen — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Greek: εισβάλλω (eisvállo) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Ancient Greek: εἰσβάλλω (eisbállō) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Hebrew: פָּלַשׁ (palásh) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Hindi: आक्रमण करना (ākramaṇ karnā) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Hindi: हमला करना (hamlā karnā) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Hungarian: ráront — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Hungarian: rátör — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Hungarian: megrohan — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Hungarian: lerohan — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Hungarian: megszáll — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Hungarian: elfoglal — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Icelandic: ráðast — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Indonesian: menginvasi — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Italian: invadere — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Japanese: 侵略する (shinryaku suru) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Japanese: 侵害する (shingai suru) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Japanese: 襲う (osou) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Japanese: 侵攻する (shinkō suru) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Kazakh: басып кіру (basyp kıru) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Kazakh: басып алу (basyp alu) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Khmer: លុក (luk) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Khmer: រុករាន (ruk riən) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Korean: 침입하다 (chimiphada) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Korean: 침략하다 (chimnyakhada) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Korean: 침공하다 (chimgonghada) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Kyrgyz: басып алуу (basıp aluu) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Ladino: envaír — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Lao: ບຸກລຸກ (buk luk) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Latin: incursō — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Latvian: iebrukt — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Lithuanian: įpulti — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Macedonian: напаѓа (napaǵa) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Macedonian: нападне (napadne) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Māori: whakaekeeke — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Mongolian: халдах (xaldax) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Mongolian: довтлох (dovtlox) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Norman: envahi — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Norwegian Bokmål: invadere — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Norwegian Bokmål: overfalle — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Old English: swogan — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Old English: geondswogan — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Iranian Persian: تَجاوُز کَرْدَن (tajâvoz kardan) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Iranian Persian: حَمْلِه کَرْدَن (hamle kardan) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Iranian Persian: تاخْتَن (tâxtan) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Iranian Persian: ایلْغار کَرْدَن (ilġâr kardan) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Iranian Persian: یورِش بُرْدَن (yureš bordan) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Polish: napadać — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Polish: napaść — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Polish: najeżdżać — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Polish: najechać — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Polish: zajmować — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Polish: zająć — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Portuguese: invadir — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Romanian: a invada — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Russian: вторга́ться (vtorgátʹsja) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Russian: вто́ргнуться (vtórgnutʹsja) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Russian: оккупи́ровать (okkupírovatʹ) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Russian: напада́ть (napadátʹ) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Russian: напа́сть (napástʹ) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Serbo-Croatian: у̀падати — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Serbo-Croatian: у̀пасти — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Serbo-Croatian: на̀падати — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Serbo-Croatian: на̀пасти — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Serbo-Croatian: ùpadati — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Serbo-Croatian: ùpasti — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Serbo-Croatian: nàpadati — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Serbo-Croatian: nàpasti — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Slovak: vtrhnúť — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Slovak: napadnúť — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Slovene: napadati — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Slovene: napasti — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Spanish: invadir — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Swedish: invadera — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Swedish: överfalla — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Tajik: таҷовуз кардан (tajovuz kardan) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Tajik: забт кардан (zabt kardan) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Tajik: ҳуҷум кардан (hujum kardan) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Tajik: ҳамла кардан (hamla kardan) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Tatar: бәреп керү (bärep kerü) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Tatar: басып керү (basıp kerü) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Thai: บุกรุก (bùk-rúk) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Tibetan: བཙན་འཛུལ་བྱས (btsan 'dzul byas) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Turkish: istila etmek — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Turkmen: zabt etmek — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Turkmen: çozmak — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Ukrainian: вдира́тися (vdyrátysja) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Ukrainian: вде́ртися (vdértysja) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Ukrainian: окупува́ти (okupuváty) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Ukrainian: захо́плювати (zaxópljuvaty) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Ukrainian: захопи́ти (zaxopýty) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Ukrainian: напада́ти (napadáty) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Ukrainian: напа́сти (napásty) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Ukrainian: вторга́тися (vtorhátysja) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Ukrainian: вто́ргнутися (vtórhnutysja) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Urdu: حَمْلَہ کَرْنا (hamla karnā) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Uyghur: تاجاۋۇز قىلماق (tajawuz qilmaq) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Uzbek: bostirib kirmoq — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Uzbek: bosib olmoq — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Uzbek: tajovuz qilmoq — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Uzbek: tajovuz etmoq — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Vietnamese: xâm lược — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Vietnamese: xâm chiếm — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Vietnamese: xâm lăng — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Welsh: goresgyn — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Yiddish: באַפֿאַלן (bafaln) — to enter by force in order to conquer
  • Bulgarian: поразя́вам (porazjávam) — to infest or overrun
  • Bulgarian: поразя́ (porazjá) — to infest or overrun
  • Danish: invadere — to infest or overrun
  • Danish: oversvømme — to infest or overrun
  • Finnish: hyökätä — to infest or overrun
  • Galician: invadir — to infest or overrun
  • Galician: infestar — to infest or overrun
  • Hungarian: elözönöl — to infest or overrun
  • Hungarian: eláraszt — to infest or overrun
  • Hungarian: ellep — to infest or overrun
  • Hungarian: beözönlik — to infest or overrun
  • Italian: invadere — to infest or overrun
  • Italian: infestare — to infest or overrun
  • Māori: kōwaowao — to infest or overrun
  • Māori: poki — to infest or overrun
  • Māori: popoki — to infest or overrun
  • Portuguese: invadir — to infest or overrun
  • Portuguese: infestar — to infest or overrun
  • Russian: поража́ть (poražátʹ) — to infest or overrun
  • Russian: порази́ть (porazítʹ) — to infest or overrun
  • Spanish: invadir — to infest or overrun