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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
Adam Ismail, The Drive, 19 Mar. 2026
Haitian police on Monday reported that several gang members were killed Monday and their weapons seized as police continued to make inroads in reclaiming parts of downtown Port-au-Prince.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
China has attempted to make inroads for the past several years to buy oil in yuan, particularly in Saudi Arabia, but with limited success.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026
No one seems to dispute it—even with the inroads David Ellison has lately made.
—Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inroad
Cite this Entry
“Inroad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inroad. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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