What does "foray" mean?
A sudden or irregular incursion in border warfare; hence, any irregular incursion for war or spoils; a raid.
Foray
/ˈfɔɹ.eɪ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A sudden or irregular incursion in border warfare; hence, any irregular incursion for war or spoils; a raid.
- Grammar: foray is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: raid, air attack, air raid, air strike.
- Useful contrasts: abstain, disengage, retreat.
- Usage evidence: Her brief foray into painting produced only one completed work.
How to use "foray"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "foray" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "foray" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "foray" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "foray" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "foray" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "raid" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "foray", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A sudden or irregular incursion in border warfare; hence, any irregular incursion for war or spoils; a raid.
- 2 an initial attempt (especially outside your usual areas of competence) wordnet
- 3 A brief excursion or attempt, especially outside one's accustomed sphere.
"Bastian Schweinsteiger and Muller were among many who should have added the third, and City were limited to rare forays with the excellent Boateng pinching the ball off Aguero and Aleksandar Kolarov shooting wide in stoppage time."
- 4 a sudden short attack wordnet
Verb
- 1 To participate in a foray.
"The people of Granada resumed all at once their ancient activity, foraying into the Christian territories, surprising Alhendin and some other places of less importance, and stirring up the spirit of revolt in Guadix and other conquered cities."
- 2 briefly enter enemy territory wordnet
- 3 To do or attempt something outside one's typical area of expertise.
""It seems as though I have lived this life always. The world of books and bookish folk is very vague, more like a dream memory than an actuality. I surely have hunted and forayed and fought all the days of my life. And you, too, seem a part of it. You are -- " I was on the verge of saying, "my woman, my mate," but glibly changed it to -- "standing the hardship well.""
- 4 steal goods; take as spoils wordnet
- 5 To scour an area for goods as part of a foray. archaic, transitive
"He bad to open wyde his brazen gate, Which long time had bene shut, and out of hond Proclaymed joy and peace through all his state; For dead now was their foe which them forrayed late."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Her brief foray into painting produced only one completed work."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "foray"?
Common synonyms include: raid, air attack, air raid, air strike, assault, attack.
How do you use "foray" in a sentence?
Her brief foray into painting produced only one completed work.
How do you pronounce "foray"?
Pronounced /ˈfɔɹ.eɪ/.
Etymology
From Middle English forrayen (“to pillage”), a back-formation of forrayour, forreour, forrier (“raider, pillager”), from Old French forrier, fourrier, a derivative of fuerre (“provender, fodder, straw”), from Frankish *fōdar (“fodder, sheath”), from Proto-Germanic *fōdrą (“fodder, feed, sheath”), from Proto-Indo-European *patrom (“fodder”), *pat- (“to feed”), *pāy- (“to guard, graze, feed”). Cognate with Old High German fuotar (German Futter (“fodder, feed”)), Old English fōdor, fōþer (“food, fodder, covering, case, basket”), Dutch voeder (“forage, food, feed”), Danish foder (“fodder, feed”), Icelandic fóður (“fodder, sheath”). More at fodder, food, forage.