incursion
C1Formal / News & Military
Definition
Meaning
A sudden and brief invasion, attack, or entrance into an area, especially one not intended or expected.
Any unwanted or unwelcome intrusion into a sphere of activity, territory, or knowledge, often implying a brief, aggressive, or disruptive entry.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Carries strong negative connotations of aggression, violation of boundaries, and unwanted entry. While it can be literal (military) or metaphorical (business), the sense of a hostile or disruptive brief invasion is central.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major syntactic or semantic differences.
Connotations
Slightly more likely to be used in a military/security context in American media.
Frequency
Comparable frequency in formal registers; rare in casual speech in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
incursion into [territory/area/market]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “No common idioms based directly on this word.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used metaphorically for a company's aggressive entry into a new market dominated by others. (e.g., 'the tech giant's incursion into the automotive sector')
Academic
Used in history, political science, and military studies to describe limited military operations.
Everyday
Rare. Might be used for humor or emphasis about an unwanted entry (e.g., 'my mother's incursion into my flat while I was out').
Technical
Used in aviation ('airspace incursion'), cybersecurity ('network incursion'), and military science.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The verb form 'incurse' is archaic and not used. Use 'make an incursion' or 'invade'.
American English
- The verb form 'incurse' is archaic and not used. Use 'stage an incursion' or 'raid'.
adverb
British English
- No standard adverb form exists.
American English
- No standard adverb form exists.
adjective
British English
- The adjectival form is 'incursive', but it is exceedingly rare.
American English
- The adjectival form is 'incursive', but it is virtually never used.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The news talked about a military incursion.
- The border incursion was stopped by the army.
- The company's incursion into the Asian market surprised its competitors.
- The incursion of populist rhetoric into mainstream political discourse has altered the nature of the debate.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a CURSE that comes IN. An incursion is like a hostile, cursed event—an unwelcome entry that causes trouble.
Conceptual Metaphor
SOCIAL/MILITARY SPACE IS A CONTAINER. An incursion is a forceful, often damaging, breaching of that container's boundaries.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Not synonymous with нашествие (large-scale invasion). Closer to вторжение, набег, or вылазка. Avoid using it for a simple 'visit' or 'trip' (поездка).
Common Mistakes
- Using 'incursion' for a peaceful or planned entry. Confusing it with 'excursion' (a pleasant trip).
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the most accurate description of an 'incursion'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
An incursion is typically smaller in scale, shorter in duration, and has a more limited objective than a full-scale invasion, which aims for conquest or major territorial change.
Extremely rarely. Its core meaning involves unwanted entry, so it is almost always negative or neutral-descriptive in formal contexts.
It is common in formal writing, news reports (especially on military or security matters), and academic texts, but uncommon in everyday casual conversation.
Confusing it with 'excursion' (a short journey or trip, often for pleasure) due to their similar spelling.
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