English Reference
Noun

foray

n. countable
C1 Advanced US /ˈfɔɹeɪ/ UK /fˈɔːɹeɪ/ for·ay UK spelling foray's, foray's, forayed, foraying

n.a short trip into a new area or a first attempt at a new activity. You use this when you try something different from what you usually do.

n.a brief excursion into a new field of activity or a different territory. Often implies a departure from one's usual expertise or a sudden, short-lived involvement in a specific domain.


SIMPLE

The actor's foray into directing was a huge success.

CONTEXTUAL

After years of writing historical fiction, her first foray into science fiction surprised her loyal readers.

COMPLEX

The company's initial foray into the European market was met with skepticism, though they eventually secured a significant share of the regional logistics sector.

Usage

Often paired with the preposition 'into'.

This marks his first foray into sports ownership, although he will not join Liverpool 's board.

BBC News· 14 Aug 2026

Before The Witcher 4 arrives in 2028, CD Projekt Red is returning us to the world of The Witcher 3 for one last foray.

The Guardian· 28 Aug 2026

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.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin ine-pro *patrom
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated