Raid means: A quick hostile or predatory incursion or invasion in a battle.. It is military jargon and mostly appears in service contexts, war fiction, or among veterans and their families. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
raid
(military) A quick hostile or predatory incursion or invasion in a battle.
Seen in the wild
9 citations · last seen May 2026
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
Just saw the UTTP raid a TADC fan video’s comment section. I’m not sure if their “leaks” are true or not 💔
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BlueskyMay 2026
Palestine Action activists guilty of criminal damage over factory raid
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BlueskyMay 2026
maaan i really kinda want to run FTB or the Chaotic Alliance raid now that we're further into 7.X and item level creep has probably made them easier. ...but also I'm hella nervous about doing anything above "hard" le…
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BlueskyMay 2026
This is honestly why I have such mixed feelings about the third raid difficulty bc it's DEFINITELY great that it's there but, as someone who's terrified of even doing EX trials, I don't think it's something I'm super…
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BlueskyMay 2026
A Philadelphia Carwash’s Road to Recovery After an ICE Raid https://www.wsj.com/us-news/a-philad...
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Definitions
#1·Apr 26, 2026
(military) A quick hostile or predatory incursion or invasion in a battle.
Origin: From , from , from , whence also the inherited English . The earlier senses of “a riding, expedition, raid” fell into disuse in Early Modern English, but were revived in the northern form raid by Walter Scott in the early 19th century. The use for a swift police operation appears in the later 19th century and may perhaps have been influenced by (similar in both original meaning and sound). Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents
Raid means: A quick hostile or predatory incursion or invasion in a battle.. It is military jargon and mostly appears in service contexts, war fiction, or among veterans and their families. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
raid means: A quick hostile or predatory incursion or invasion in a battle.. Register: informal, military jargon. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself. A formal-English equivalent (a synonym or descriptive phrase) is usually safer in writing. When in doubt, paraphrase rather than reuse the slang form.
Heard in the wild
“85 years ago, on 5th May 1941, the fourth and final raid of the Belfast Blitz took place. It claimed approximately 987 lives and 50,000 homes damaged. Some of its victims were temporarily stored at the Falls Baths, the tragic inspiration for Michael Longley’s poem ‘Blitz’.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Popular Australian author pleads guilty over child exploitation material The Jasper Jones and Runt author was arrested in January during a police raid at his Perth home.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“✝️STREAN ENDED✝️ it feels good to be back, its almost as if nothing happened LOL! anyways thank you @kyonkyuu.bsky.social for the raid! we sent your community to my good friend @blue232vt.bsky.social who is playing overwatch right now! www.twitch.tv/midnight_blu...”
— Bluesky· May 2026“I want to be sponsored by Raid: Shadow Legends.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Guns of Glory, Lost Island, and Raid.”
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#2·Apr 26, 2026
(law enforcement) An attack or invasion for the purpose of making arrests, seizing property or plundering.
a police raid of a narcotics factory
Cluster: violence
Heard in the wild
“Guns of Glory, Lost Island, and Raid.”
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#3·Apr 26, 2026
(sports) An attacking movement.
a raid of contractors on the public treasury
Heard in the wild
“Just saw the UTTP raid a TADC fan video’s comment section. I’m not sure if their “leaks” are true or not 💔”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Palestine Action activists guilty of criminal damage over factory raid”
— Bluesky· May 2026“maaan i really kinda want to run FTB or the Chaotic Alliance raid now that we're further into 7.X and item level creep has probably made them easier. ...but also I'm hella nervous about doing anything above "hard" level content in the game.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“This is honestly why I have such mixed feelings about the third raid difficulty bc it's DEFINITELY great that it's there but, as someone who's terrified of even doing EX trials, I don't think it's something I'm super interested in bc, y'know, fear LOL”
— Bluesky· May 2026“A Philadelphia Carwash’s Road to Recovery After an ICE Raid https://www.wsj.com/us-news/a-philad...”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Other words near "raid" (R)
rag outrag pilledrag sznrag the puckrahooneryrahuiRaid botRaidenRaid trainrailbirdrailfanrailfanning
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Semantically related
- incursion66%
A military action consisting of armed forces of one geopolitical entity entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of destruction, plunder, or bodily harm rather than an intent to conquer territory or alter the established government; contrast invasion in its narrow sense.
- incursion64%
An aggressive movement into somewhere; an invasion in the general sense.
- charge64%
(military) An attack in which combatants rush towards an enemy in an attempt to engage in close combat.