encroach

as in to invade
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits each year the sea continues to encroach upon the island's beaches

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the verb encroach differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of encroach are infringe, invade, and trespass. While all these words mean "to make inroads upon the property, territory, or rights of another," encroach suggests gradual or stealthy entrance upon another's territory or usurpation of another's rights or possessions.

the encroaching settlers displacing the native peoples

Where would infringe be a reasonable alternative to encroach?

The words infringe and encroach are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, infringe implies an encroachment clearly violating a right or prerogative.

infringing a copyright

When can invade be used instead of encroach?

The words invade and encroach can be used in similar contexts, but invade implies a hostile and injurious entry into the territory or sphere of another.

accused of invading their privacy

When could trespass be used to replace encroach?

While the synonyms trespass and encroach are close in meaning, trespass implies an unwarranted or unlawful intrusion.

hunters trespassing on farmland

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of encroach In fact, many fans believe Walt Disney kept newspapers and television sets out of his parks so that guests could be fully immersed in a fantastical world, without reality or politics encroaching. Natasha Chen, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025 Washington’s only voice in Congress criticized the bills for encroaching on the district’s governance. Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2025 Are other people’s money problems encroaching on your bottom line? Usa Today, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2025 Apparently, our west block wall encroaches six feet into our neighbor’s back yard, which includes our swimming pool motor and related equipment. Christopher A. Combs, AZCentral.com, 16 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for encroach
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encroach
Verb
  • On October 7, 2023, as a terrorist army invaded Israel intending to commit genocide against the Jewish people, many world leaders rightly condemned Hamas’ murder, rape, and slaughter of Israelis and foreign nationals.
    Ofir Akunis, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The 2025 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to a trio of scientists – two of them American and one Japanese – for unraveling how the immune system protects us from thousands of different microbes trying to invade our bodies.
    Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Not even creeping death could quash the rock star within.
    Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The film weds Jewish mysticism and slow-creeping horror with all the anxiety of new lesbian love.
    Samantha Allen, Them., 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The 67-year-old singer arrived at the Saint Laurent spring 2026 show outside the Eiffel Tower on Monday night during Paris Fashion Week, her wavy blond hair loosely trapped under the collar of her leather top, curls snaking around the edges of her face, pooling just below her collarbone.
    Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2025
  • In response, local tourism companies clashed, generating blockades and halting services that marooned global travelers in Aguas Calientes, the remote gateway town where buses snake through the Andes toward the 15th-century Inca citadel.
    Mark Johanson, Outside, 25 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Encroach.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encroach. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

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