as in crept
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits
each year the sea continues to encroach upon the island's beaches
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 encroached
The ads have now encroached into social media without proper disclosures with many online pharmacies not following the same rules that many pharmaceutical companies follow, a senior White House official said.
—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
From the deadly 2025 Los Angeles fires to the devastating 2019-2020 Australian bushfires and the 2018 wildfire in Athens, Greece, flames have increasingly encroached upon human settlements, claiming lives and livelihoods.
—Seyd Teymoor Seydi, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2025
In the post, the woman described a situation in which the man seated next to her allegedly encroached on her space during the flight, with his thigh pressed against hers and the shared armrest raised.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025
Developers encroached with high-rise condos on all sides as the neighborhood transitioned from a commercial train depot with day laborers, mechanics, and seamstresses to trendy and touristy.
—Carlos Frías, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Aug. 2025
The England international encroached on goal, still in a promising three-on-three situation.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Bison were wiped out as European settlers encroached on Native lands in the 1800s.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 7 Aug. 2025
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
From the deadly 2025 Los Angeles fires to the devastating 2019-2020 Australian bushfires and the 2018 wildfire in Athens, Greece, flames have increasingly encroached upon human settlements, claiming lives and livelihoods.
—Seyd Teymoor Seydi, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2025
In the post, the woman described a situation in which the man seated next to her allegedly encroached on her space during the flight, with his thigh pressed against hers and the shared armrest raised.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025
Developers encroached with high-rise condos on all sides as the neighborhood transitioned from a commercial train depot with day laborers, mechanics, and seamstresses to trendy and touristy.
—Carlos Frías, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Aug. 2025
The England international encroached on goal, still in a promising three-on-three situation.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Bison were wiped out as European settlers encroached on Native lands in the 1800s.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encroached
Verb
-
Chicago's wild card lead over the San Diego Padres has crept down to just two games with a little under three weeks remaining in the season.—
Andrew Wright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The jobs report from July shattered the narrative that the economy of 2025 was strong, revising previous figures downward and revealing something close to an 80% collapse in hiring, even as inflation crept upwards and layoffs rolled.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Israel invaded the hospital in November 2023 and March 2024, saying Hamas worked in the area of the hospital, a claim Hamas denied.—
Natalie Davies,
Freep.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
In 2008, Russia invaded Georgia and the two fought a war that lasted only just over two weeks.—
Leila Fadel,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Lines snaked around every outside court, contrasting sharply with the ones only in use for practice, sparsely and quietly populated with players honing their skills for the bigger stages.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
27 Aug. 2025
-
Hundreds of energized voters snaked around Union Square on Sunday afternoon, as New Yorkers sought one of the limited Zohran Mamdani Scavenger Hunt cards at the first clue stop.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Encroached.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encroached. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share