1
as in encroached
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
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2
as in dragged
to move slowly
the car inched carefully across the snow-covered causeway
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of inched
Stocks inched to more records Wednesday after oil prices fell and eased the pressure on households and businesses worldwide.
—
Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
As City inched closer to their first WSL title in a decade, the candidates for this award did not so much fall to the wayside as form a guard of honour.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 22 May 2026
While containment inched overnight, continuing winds and warm weather Wednesday may prove a challenge for containment.
—Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 20 May 2026
Puffy white cumulus clouds inched across the sky a few thousand feet above the ground.
—Emily Holshouser
may 19, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 May 2026
Oil prices inched up on Thursday as the market anxiously awaited any encouraging signals from the US-China summit in Beijing, while new data indicated an unprecedented drawdown of global oil reserves.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 14 May 2026
The Labor Department's report Thursday showed that the four-week moving average of jobless claims, which evens out some of the week-to-week gyrations, inched up by 750 to 203,750.
—ABC News, 14 May 2026
Sales inched up 1 percent to $631 million.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 12 May 2026
Gasoline costs have inched upward in Illinois and in Lake County to just below $5 a gallon.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
As City inched closer to their first WSL title in a decade, the candidates for this award did not so much fall to the wayside as form a guard of honour.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 22 May 2026
While containment inched overnight, continuing winds and warm weather Wednesday may prove a challenge for containment.
—Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 20 May 2026
Puffy white cumulus clouds inched across the sky a few thousand feet above the ground.
—Emily Holshouser
may 19, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 May 2026
Oil prices inched up on Thursday as the market anxiously awaited any encouraging signals from the US-China summit in Beijing, while new data indicated an unprecedented drawdown of global oil reserves.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 14 May 2026
The Labor Department's report Thursday showed that the four-week moving average of jobless claims, which evens out some of the week-to-week gyrations, inched up by 750 to 203,750.
—ABC News, 14 May 2026
Sales inched up 1 percent to $631 million.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 12 May 2026
Gasoline costs have inched upward in Illinois and in Lake County to just below $5 a gallon.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inched
Verb
-
Cuba has long defended its decision to shoot down the planes, insisting that Brothers to the Rescue had encroached on the country's sovereignty.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
-
Most of these settlers farmed, but then the cities of Cleveland and Akron encroached from north and south.—
Robert Annis,
Midwest Living,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Although Schwarze ultimately prevailed, the party’s divisions were on display as the endorsement battle dragged on through six ballots.—
Jay Gabler,
Twin Cities,
30 May 2026
-
But as his contentious divorce and custody battle against Jolie dragged on, reports emerged in 2021 that Maddox had testified in the case.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
The truck driver crawled to the side of the road and the gunman fled.—
Kristi Miller,
Twin Cities,
26 May 2026
-
But Inglis kept losing partners to Punjab fast bowler Marco Jansen (2-33) and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (2-25) and Lucknow crawled to 196.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 May 2026
Verb
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The Waffle House waitress said the building’s management was inattentive to a raft of deeper issues, from sewage backups that crept into her bathtub to mold and a malfunctioning air conditioning unit.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
27 May 2026
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At the other end of the spectrum, there were a number of clubs with lower possession numbers who crept into positions higher up the table.—
Jon Mackenzie,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Verb
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While many of the brand’s lifestyle models are frequently shuffled in and out of production, the 9060 has held on as a staple of the brand’s lineup nearly four years after its retail debut.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
28 May 2026
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He then was shuffled between immigration centers in California, Arizona and Louisiana — before landing in Equatorial Guinea almost six months ago.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Even at the height of his fame, there were dubious aspects of his personal life — often self-seeded to sustain his enigma — that poked hellified holes in his impermeability as an entertainer.—
Rodney Carmichael,
NPR,
3 June 2026
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In the roadside planters, green sprouts poked up.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inched. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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