1
as in step
a very small distance or degree
give them an inch, and they'll take a mile
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
1
as in to encroach
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits
every year the water inches further up the embankments, threatening to permanently engulf the island city
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of inch
Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2026
The mushroom is usually a few inches tall but can grow larger and has white gills, a pale yellow or green cap and a ring around its stalk.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
Joe Reid, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2025
In the video, the contractor stopped in his tracks, confused about the giant tortoise slowly inching its way inside.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inch
Noun
Given the less-than-one-half-inch insect’s track record of devastating oaks since being first detected in San Diego County in 2008, scientists and land stewards are alarmed — and working to contain the outbreak.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2026
The mushroom is usually a few inches tall but can grow larger and has white gills, a pale yellow or green cap and a ring around its stalk.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
Verb
One Battle After Another picked up another $1 million and change in its sixth week, inching it ever closer to the $75 million bonus-point threshold.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2025
In the video, the contractor stopped in his tracks, confused about the giant tortoise slowly inching its way inside.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inch
Noun
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The shop is housed in a former beauty salon, steps from the bakery.—
Liz Rothaus Bertrand,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Jan. 2026
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Similar to fellow Arsenal summer signing Eberechi Eze — another keen chess player — the assumption would be that the skills taken from the board game have helped Zubimendi be a step ahead in enticing and then bypassing opposition players.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Lenovo came out all guns blazing at CES 2026, using its biggest global stage yet to signal major leaps across devices, AI, and partnerships.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Johnson understands what this week signifies — with this playoff stage providing the opportunity to stamp greater legitimacy on the season.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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After tumbling from a 50-foot height, Dan Aykroyd walked away convinced that a higher power had caught him.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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Their mom, Alyssa Crawford, shared two images of herself with her daughter Violet, with text alluding to the 4-year-old’s height being smaller than her peers.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
And up-and-coming Chinese firms like Xiaomi (for phones) and TCL (for TVs) are starting to encroach on Samsung’s premium markets.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
6 Jan. 2026
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Palace intrigue encroached on his confidence at times.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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His arm was pinned into the back window of a car as a suspect sped away, dragging him across the pavement for about 100 yards, according to court documents.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
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At least one woman was dragged along the pavement as officers appeared to prepare additional crowd-control devices.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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One Alvarado police officer was struck in the neck during the attack.—
Center Square,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Jan. 2026
-
At West Ham, Nuno has aligned himself with a club where the problems run so much deeper than merely trying to prevent the chilly fingers of relegation from closing round their neck.—
Daniel Taylor,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The final chapter of Stranger Things is set to release in three parts.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
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The latest chapter came in the Div.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Now, Letts has brought Coon back to Broadway with the Main Stem debut of his 1996 play Bug, a skin-crawling portrayal of people on the fringes.—
Juan A. Ramírez,
Vogue,
9 Jan. 2026
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One team member crawled inside and fired paintballs filled with vegetable oil, wildlife organization BEAR League told Fox News Digital on Thursday.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inch. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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