Meaning & use
dawn raid
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablebusinesslaw
A surprise early-morning visit by officials to search a company for evidence of wrongdoing.
Grammar: Countable: a dawn raid, two dawn raids.
Patterns
- carry out a dawn raid
- a dawn raid on something
The competition authority carried out a dawn raid on the company's headquarters.
During a dawn raid, investigators arrived at 6 a.m. and seized documents.
The firm was shaken by a dawn raid after allegations of price-fixing.
nouncountablebusinessfinance
A sudden early-morning purchase of a large block of shares in a company, often as a takeover move.
Grammar: Countable; used in finance contexts.
Patterns
- make a dawn raid on something
- launch a dawn raid
The investor made a dawn raid on the company's stock, buying 15% in one morning.
A dawn raid on the shares caught the board by surprise.
Word forms
| plural | dawn raids |
|---|
Common combinations
- carry out a dawn raid
- The regulators carried out a dawn raid on the bank's offices.
- dawn raid on
- The dawn raid on the pharmaceutical company made headlines.
- launch a dawn raid
- They launched a dawn raid to buy up shares before the market opened.
Synonyms and how they differ
- early-morning search
- A plain description; 'dawn raid' is the fixed term in legal and business news.
- surprise inspection
- More general; a dawn raid is a specific type done at dawn by authorities.
Commonly confused: dawn raid or dawn attack?
dawn raid vs dawn attack
A military attack at dawn; 'dawn raid' in business news means a surprise official search or share purchase, not a military action.
Practice
In a business news article, what does 'dawn raid' most likely mean?
Choose one answer.
In business and legal contexts, a dawn raid is a surprise early-morning visit by authorities to search for evidence. It is not a military attack, a meeting, or a price drop.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dawn raid”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.