# foray

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈfɒɹ.eɪ/ · frequency rank #27,464

## Definitions
1. A sudden or irregular incursion in border warfare; hence, any irregular incursion for war or spoils; a raid.
2. A brief excursion or attempt, especially outside one's accustomed sphere.

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **fry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-fry)
- **fra** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-fra)
- **foy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-foy)
- **form** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-form)
- **ford** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-ford)
- **fort** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-fort)
- **fork** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-fork)
- **fury** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-fury)
- **Fran** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-fran)
- **fray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-fray)
- **frat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-frat)
- **Frau** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-frau)
- **Frey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-frey)
- **foxy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-foxy)
- **force** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-force)
- **forms** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-forms)
- **forth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-forth)
- **forum** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-forum)
- **forty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-forty)
- **forge** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foray-vs-forge)

## Common misspellings (7)
`fforay`, `foary`, `forayy`, `forray`, `forya`, `froay`, `ofray`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/foray