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
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Recent Examples of inch
Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
The sleek, all black design stands at nearly 17 inches tall to provide light higher off the ground.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Mar. 2026
Stephanie Vermillion, Outside, 16 Mar. 2026
The two sides nevertheless inched closer to a deal.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inch
Noun
Next to her in the image is a sign announcing her name, birth date, birth weight (7 pounds, 12 ounces) and size (19 inches).
—Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
The sleek, all black design stands at nearly 17 inches tall to provide light higher off the ground.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
This area is one of just a few places on the planet to experience the arribada, when thousands of Kemp’s and olive ridley turtles simultaneously inch ashore to nest.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside, 16 Mar. 2026
The two sides nevertheless inched closer to a deal.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inch
Noun
-
Unable to ramp up through the first month of spring training because of lingering shoulder soreness, Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell took a step toward readiness Thursday, throwing his first bullpen session.—
Jack Vita,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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When one steps through its doors, they are transported into an ornate palace that seems to exist outside of time.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Lithium refining is expensive and technologically complex, and most of the world’s midstream processing capacity remains concentrated in China, meaning Chinese firms dominate not only mining but also the chemical refining stage where much of the value is captured.—
Ray Mwayera,
semafor.com,
13 Mar. 2026
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These workers control everything from individually steaming each stage curtain to rigging massive pieces of audio equipment.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The hope for this team was that Peterson could carry KU’s offense to new heights, particularly in the postseason.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Wordless electronic lounge music pulses over the speakers, hanging well above the dining room from a triple-height ceiling.—
Henri Hollis,
AJC.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the last few decades, the bug has encroached from Utah’s Virgin River into prime flycatcher habitat in northern Arizona.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
13 Mar. 2026
-
And once a stream erodes its banks, flooding can encroach on nearby infrastructure like bridges or homes.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The war continued to escalate on its 13th day as oil prices spiraled up again to $100 per barrel, and stocks sank worldwide over fears that the conflict could drag on longer than hoped.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Even with the massive emergency release, analysts said that strategic reserves can cover only a fraction of the supply loss if the conflict dragged on.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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As the ride ended, the male suspect, sitting in the backseat behind the driver, pulled out a knife and began violently stabbing the driver in the neck and the back of the head without warning.—
Frederick Sutton Sinclair,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
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Every table featured a centerpiece picture of Faalave-Johnson, some in action, others with a lei around his neck at a TV awards ceremony last fall.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
For six straight weeks, the stories and novel chapters handed in for my creative-writing class were predictably grim, and then, out of nowhere, a student revealed herself to be a true writer.—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
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Paul Kendrick, endorsed by both Croke and the district’s Democratic state senator, Sara Feigenholtz, has held leadership roles at nonprofits and the local chapter of Indivisible Chicago.—
Jeremy Gorner,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Hanson, who spends much of his life crawling through underbrush to count trees, plunged ahead into stands of chest-high ceanothus, pointing out sequoias camouflaged in the pervasive post-fire brush.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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Related groups of animals, such as the ancestors of today’s millipedes, crawled out of the sea a bit earlier than insects did.—
Andrew Coletti,
Popular Science,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inch. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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