1
a
: a hostile or predatory incursion
b
: a surprise attack by a small force
2
a
: a brief foray outside one's usual sphere
b
: a sudden invasion by officers of the law
c
: a daring operation against a competitor
d
: the recruiting of personnel (such as faculty, executives, or athletes) from competing organizations
3
: the act of mulcting public money
4
: an attempt by professional operators to depress stock prices by concerted selling
raided; raiding; raids
: to conduct or take part in a raid
: to make a raid on
Synonyms
Examples of raid in a Sentence
Noun
They launched a raid against the enemy.
Weapons were also seized during the drug raid.
They caught five smugglers in the raid.
Verb
The village was raided often by neighboring tribes.
Police raided the house and found drugs.
Federal agents raided the warehouse, seizing stolen property and arresting five smugglers.
She raided her sister's closet to find something to wear to the party.
Recent Examples on the Web
Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
In an email exchange from February 2011, a soldier told a senior officer of a raid in which a lone Afghan fighter, ordered to go back inside a building, returned with a weapon, even though he was heavily outnumbered.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Scott Travers, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
Listen to this article On Oct. 1, 2020, federal agents raided the home of an Adams County man.
—Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for raid 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
While the officers denied it, Knight and his brother told the court that police had beaten Knight during the raid, leaving him bleeding from the side of his mouth.
—Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
In an email exchange from February 2011, a soldier told a senior officer of a raid in which a lone Afghan fighter, ordered to go back inside a building, returned with a weapon, even though he was heavily outnumbered.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
This small insectivorous bird disappeared as rats raided its nests.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
Listen to this article On Oct. 1, 2020, federal agents raided the home of an Adams County man.
—Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for raid
Articles Related to raid
Dictionary Entries Near raid
Cite this Entry
“Raid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raid. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
raid
1 of 2 noun
: a sudden attack or invasion
raid
2 of 2 verb
: to make a raid on
raider
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share