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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."
Examples of inroad in a Sentence
Grace Sandman, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2025
Double Threat There is, however, some other suggestion that Google might also be making inroads with its TPUs.
—John Werner, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
And Canadian media giants are looking to offset declining Canadian viewership for traditional linear TV channels with more inroads into the streaming space.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
With Mills still undeclared, other Democrats such as Graham Platner and Jordan Wood have jumped into the race and have begun traveling across the state to make early inroads with voters.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inroad
Cite this Entry
“Inroad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inroad. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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