INCHED Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

inched

verb

Definition of inched

past tense of inch

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

Relevance

as in dragged

to move slowly the car inched carefully across the snow-covered causeway

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 inched After-sun skin care orders rose 46%, and orders for split ACs rose 41%, while demand for outdoor misting systems inched up 24%. — Vidhi Choudhary, Fortune, 7 July 2026 SpaceX shares inched up about 1% in early trading ahead of Tuesday's entrance into the Nasdaq 100 index, which is tracked by investment firms that manage 401(k) retirement accounts. — ABC News, 6 July 2026 On the corner of West 31st Street and Seventh Avenue, right outside Madison Square Garden, the heat was scorching as the temperature inched to 100 degrees. — Emily Yahr, Washington Post, 4 July 2026 When the two competing versions tested, the scores surprisingly dropped significantly, although the studio’s inched out ahead of Gillespie’s…but by only two points, according to sources. — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 3 July 2026 Opinions on Freeman inched upward even though the Irish missed the College Football Playoff after early losses to Miami and Texas A&M. — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 26 June 2026 Since the Labour Party took office in 2024, average weekly pay, adjusted for inflation and excluding bonuses, has inched up less than 1% to £494 ($651), according to the UK statistics office — hardly better than the growth since 2019. — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 23 June 2026 Kylian Mbappé passed Pelé on the World Cup goal-scoring list and inched closer to setting the overall goal record for the tournament. — CBS News, 22 June 2026 The draw inched Cape Verde closer to the knockout stage. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for inched

Verb

Ditching a 90-year-old decision, the court said restrictions Congress placed on a president’s ability to remove members of independent agencies like the Federal Trade Commission encroached on presidential power.

— Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Dominik Livakovic saved Harry Kane’s first attempt, but a retake was ordered because the goalkeeper had moved off his line and defender Josko Gvardiol had encroached into the area early before clearing the rebound.

— Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 28 June 2026

Definition of encroached

Verb

Two men dragged a third into the emergency room and laid him on the floor, according to footage shown in court.

— Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
His efforts dragged him into a love triangle with Annis and her former partner, Corbin Mims, which ultimately left Caleb single ahead of Casa Amor, the show’s midseason twist.

— Tanya Fedak, Variety, 10 July 2026

Definition of dragged

Verb

Hull testified that Robinson later returned in different clothing, walking with a limp, rolled onto the roof of a building on campus and crawled to the edge of the rooftop around the time the shot was fired.

— N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 10 July 2026
Their father dismounted, went down on foot, climbed the fence his son had crawled under.

— Emily Ruskovich, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026

Definition of crawled

Verb

Authorities offered no immediate crowd count as the truck crept down the street.

— Nasser Karimi, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
When the rain cleared, an American flag that covered most of the outfield was unfurled during the national anthem, and the fog slowly crept in.

— Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026

Definition of crept

Verb

One Wednesday evening in May, at the boutique hotel Dream Hollywood — located just off the Walk of Fame — a young hotel staff member shuffled over to her co-worker to discuss a special guest on the top floor.

— Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Overshadowed by the Folarin Balogun mess is how impressively Rudi Garcia shuffled his midfield and organized his tactics to perfectly counter how Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT wanted to play.

— Stuart James, New York Times, 7 July 2026

Definition of shuffled

Verb

After a scrappy passage of play in which Morocco failed to clear their lines, Desire Doue poked a loose ball to Mbappe on the left edge of the area.

— Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 9 July 2026
But Ecuador’s Gonzalo Plata stuck up his left foot, just in front of Neuer, and poked the ball into the net.

— Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 27 June 2026

Definition of poked

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inch by inch

inched

inches

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“Inched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inched. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of inched

verb

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