French Conversation · Level 113
59 words
French word
envahir
Pronunciation
IPA/ɑ̃vaiʁ/
Meaning
- verbflood
Example
Les supporters envahissent le terrain après le match.
The fans flood onto the pitch after the match.
More examples
La maison est envahie par des souris.
The house is overrun by mice.
Core concept
A crowd, force, or sensation pours into a space or mind until it is full.
Common phrases
envahir un pays
invade a country
envahir la maison
invade the house
envahir l'espace personnel
invade personal space
Similar words
submerger: To engulf something in a sudden mass of liquid or emotion.
déferler: To surge forward in successive waves of people or events.
inonder: To flood a place or system with large amounts of liquid or information.
Definition in French
Submerger quelqu'un ou quelque chose en remplissant l'esprit, les sens ou l'espace, souvent soudainement.
Word origin
Envahir comes from Latin invadere through Old French and extends the idea of entering forcefully from physical spaces to minds and senses.
Usage tips
- With an emotion as subject, French commonly uses la peur m'envahit, meaning that fear overwhelms a person as its direct object.
Other meanings
- invadeverb
Opposites
- libérerliberateverb
Related words
- envahissementinvasionnoun
- envahisseurinvadernoun
- envahissantintrusiveadjective