foray

1 of 2

noun

for·​ay ˈfȯr-ˌā 

ˈfär-,

 also  fȯ-ˈrā,

 or  fə-ˈrā

plural forays

1

: a sudden or irregular invasion or attack for war or spoils : raid

a foray into enemy territory

attempted sneak and surprise forays

—D. D. Eisenhower

2

: an initial and often tentative attempt to do something in a new or different field or area of activity

the novelist's foray into nonfiction

Torres spearheaded his family's first foray into international wine production by purchasing land in Chile's Curicó Valley in 1979.

—Michael Schachner

foray

2 of 2

verb

forayed; foraying; forays

1

intransitive : to make a raid or brief invasion

forayed into enemy territory

Nicaraguan troops were foraying along the frontier …

—George Russell

2

intransitive : to do or attempt something outside one's accustomed sphere : to enter into a new or different field or area of activity

Tesla, known for its high-end electric cars, has forayed into the trucking industry with a Nov. 16 reveal of its latest prototype, the Tesla Semi.

—Meagan Nichols

3

transitive archaic : to ravage in search of spoils : pillage

forayer noun

plural forayers

Did you know?

For centuries, foray referred only to a sudden or irregular invasion or attack, but in the late 19th century it began to venture into gentler semantic territory. While the newer sense of foray still involves a trek into a foreign territory, the travel is figurative: when you make this kind of foray, you dabble in an area, occupation, or pastime that’s new to you. Take the particularly apt example (stay tuned) of mushroom hunting. The likely ancestor of foray is an Anglo-French word referring to the violent sort who do invasion forays, but that word could also refer to a forager—that is, one who wanders in search of food. (Forage has the same etymological source.) Interestingly, foray has seen a resurgence of use connected to its foraging roots, as evidenced by the growing popularity of mycophile-led mushroom “forays” that have been lately popping up like toadstools.

Synonyms

Noun

• descent
• incursion
• inroad
• invasion
• irruption
• raid

Verb

• invade
• overrun
• raid

Examples of foray in a Sentence

Noun

a foray into enemy territory

We made a quick foray into town for some supplies.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Beyond his foray into the world of politics, Xavier is also a good big brother, according to his mom. —Stephanie Kaloi, Peoplemag, 23 Apr. 2024

Morgan’s work, co-produced by Netflix in the streamer’s first Broadway foray, maps a morality play onto its portrait of betrayal while also sketching Putin’s rise to power. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English forrayen, from Anglo-French forreyer, foreer, probably back-formation from *forrier, *forreour forager, raider, from fuerre, foer provender — more at forage

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

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Kids Definition

foray

verb

for·​ay

ˈfȯr-ˌā

: to raid especially in order to steal : pillage

foray noun