as in invades
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits
each year the sea continues to encroach upon the island's beaches
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Recent Examples of encroaches
As the Chinese men shoot the breeze and play cards, a mob of armed white miners gathers over the hill and encroaches on the unsuspecting outsiders.
—
Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
Cloud Dancer, a white that is both warm and cool, reflects an overwhelmed feeling among consumers as the world feels louder and technology, in particular AI, encroaches further into our lives.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
As the third weekend of November encroaches upon us, so does the holiday season — and streaming networks are picking up the cheer in full swing.
—Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 14 Nov. 2025
The study reveals as urbanization increasingly encroaches upon bat-safe caves, invasive, city-dwelling rats are likely to follow.
—NPR, 8 Nov. 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
While a new generation of young singer-songwriters encroaches on country music’s old guard by the day, the Texas barnstormer has found his footing with a fan base hell-bent on capturing every moment Myers affords them.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
The rise of fascism encroaches on her like a disease, culminating in a personal invitation from Mussolini himself, but we’re dealt countless scenes of Eleonora’s psychosis before we’re granted a contextual explanation of what feeds it.
—Blake Simons, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2025
However, if someone encroaches on another traveler's space, the airline may reassign them to a different seat or ask them to take a later flight.
—Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
Cloud Dancer, a white that is both warm and cool, reflects an overwhelmed feeling among consumers as the world feels louder and technology, in particular AI, encroaches further into our lives.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
As the third weekend of November encroaches upon us, so does the holiday season — and streaming networks are picking up the cheer in full swing.
—Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 14 Nov. 2025
The study reveals as urbanization increasingly encroaches upon bat-safe caves, invasive, city-dwelling rats are likely to follow.
—NPR, 8 Nov. 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
While a new generation of young singer-songwriters encroaches on country music’s old guard by the day, the Texas barnstormer has found his footing with a fan base hell-bent on capturing every moment Myers affords them.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
The rise of fascism encroaches on her like a disease, culminating in a personal invitation from Mussolini himself, but we’re dealt countless scenes of Eleonora’s psychosis before we’re granted a contextual explanation of what feeds it.
—Blake Simons, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2025
However, if someone encroaches on another traveler's space, the airline may reassign them to a different seat or ask them to take a later flight.
—Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encroaches
Verb
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Japan and Taiwan China and Japan relations are currently particularly fraught, with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting last year Japan might get involved if China invades Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory.—
Jennifer Pak,
NPR,
8 Mar. 2026
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But 1 in 200 will experience irreversible paralysis when the virus invades their nervous system.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This time round, though, an unfortunate silliness sometimes creeps in, where the film risks tipping over Shakespearean-size emotions into embarrassing bathos.—
Miriam Balanescu,
IndieWire,
5 Mar. 2026
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The curved shadow of the Earth that creeps across the moon during lunar eclipses is key to humankind’s understanding of our planet.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The car inches forward but does not clear the way.—
Erin Jones,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
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Following a bout of social media virality, a scout with Troop 71047 named Pim has sold over 100,000 boxes of cookies and counting, and every sale inches her closer to breaking the record for most Girl Scout Cookies ever sold.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Miraculously, the line of people that usually snakes down Melrose yearning for a slice of chef Karla Subero Pittol’s passion lime fruit icebox pie is nonexistent today.—
Julissa James,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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In southwest Russia, where the border with eastern Ukraine snakes down to the Sea of Azov, lies the city of Rostov-on-Don, which serves as the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District.—
Sophie Spiegelberger,
New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Encroaches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encroaches. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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