Invade
/ɪnˈveɪd/
Definitions
2 meaningsTo enter a country or region by force in order to take control of it.
/ɪnˈveɪd/
To enter a place or organization in a forceful or unwelcome way.
In 1940, Germany invaded France.
💡 Simply: Imagine your friend is eating your favorite snack without asking! Invade is like that, but bigger – like when an army goes into another country without permission.
👶 For kids: To go into a place and take over, like soldiers taking over a country.
More Examples
The privacy of my inbox was invaded by spam emails.
The ants invaded the kitchen in search of crumbs.
How It's Used
"The Roman army invaded Gaul in 58 BC."
"The loud music from next door invaded my peace."
To spread or extend into something in a way that causes damage or harm.
/ɪnˈveɪd/
To spread into or over (something), especially in a harmful way.
The weeds began to invade the carefully tended flowerbeds.
💡 Simply: Imagine a weed taking over your garden. Invade is like that, but it can also happen when something harmful, like germs, takes over a body or a place.
👶 For kids: To spread and take over something in a bad way, like yucky germs spreading in your body.
More Examples
The disease invaded the patient's body rapidly.
The company's marketing tactics invaded the customer's privacy.
How It's Used
"Cancer cells can invade healthy tissue."
"An invasive plant species can invade a new ecosystem."
Idioms & expressions
invasion of privacy
The act of violating someone's right to privacy.
"The company was accused of invasion of privacy after collecting customer data without consent."
From Latin *invadere* 'to go into, enter, attack', from *in-* 'in' + *vadere* 'to go'.
Historically, 'invade' has been used in military contexts to describe the act of entering and taking control of a foreign territory.
Memory tip
Think of the word 'invade' as entering somewhere you are not welcome.
Word Origin
"to go into"