inroad

noun

in·​road ˈin-ˌrōd 

plural inroads

1

: an advance or penetration often at the expense of someone or something

—usually used in plural

2

: a sudden hostile incursion : raid

Did you know?

Inroad is a combination of in and road, both of which are pretty mundane, as far as words go. But the first-and-oldest-meaning of inroad hints at a meaning of road other than the "way for traveling" one. Beginning back in the days of Old English, road referred to an armed hostile incursion made on horseback. (Raid comes from this use of road and also formerly specified incursions on horseback.) Road, as well as inroad, has lost its violent connotation. While inroads are often made at the expense of someone or something, they are at times simply advances, as when an artist is said to be "making inroads into a community."

Synonyms of inroad

• incursion
• invasion
• raid

Examples of inroad in a Sentence

the army is finally making inroads into enemy territory

Recent Examples on the Web

Concepts like a recurring conversation with a sibling, a habit picked up during a mundane after-school job, or a small mistake that took months to fully understand can be inroads to genuine self-reflection and creative expression. — Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Private equity has long yearned to make inroads into the growing and increasingly lucrative world of sports, including even college football teams or conferences. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Inside Colombia, tremors from the quake’s epicenter reached as far as the remote region of Chocó on Monday, where sparse inroads could potentially delay efforts to reach more than half a million residents, according to Grece. — Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026

Republicans think the fraud scandal, which led Walz to abandon his plans to run for a third term, gives them a rare opening to make inroads in an otherwise tough environment for the GOP. — Jonathan J. Cooper, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for inroad

• abode
• anode
• barcode
• bestowed
• boatload
• borrowed
• carload
• caseload
• cathode
• commode
• corrode
• crossroad

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Kids Definition

inroad

noun

in·​road ˈin-ˌrōd 

1

: a sudden hostile invasion : raid

2

: an important advance often at the expense of someone or something

making inroads against the competition