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
Now, in a new interview with Esquire, Holland inched ever so slightly closer towards that elusive official confirmation while, impressively, still maintaining plenty of ambiguity.
—
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2026
The players were participating in a warm-up drill; the circle inched forward as the Americans headed or kicked the ball to each other.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 11 June 2026
One reason is likely that Southern California pay raises are just barely outpacing inflation, so your paycheck’s buying power has only inched up.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 8 June 2026
Semien hit a two-run homer in the second, Torrens added a two-run single with two outs in the fourth and Soto hit his third career slam to cap a five-run sixth as the Mets inched past the Marlins into fourth place in the NL East.
—Cbs New York Team, CBS News, 31 May 2026
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average inched down 30 points.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 31 May 2026
Housing plans Prospects for Pritzker’s ambitious package of proposals to build more housing in Illinois seemed murky Friday, though several pieces of legislation have inched forward in recent days.
—Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2026
Former Harford County Council member Aaron Penman inched closer Friday to potentially being returned to his former seat during a hearing in circuit court.
—Bryan P. Sears, Baltimore Sun, 29 May 2026
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
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2026
The players were participating in a warm-up drill; the circle inched forward as the Americans headed or kicked the ball to each other.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 11 June 2026
One reason is likely that Southern California pay raises are just barely outpacing inflation, so your paycheck’s buying power has only inched up.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 8 June 2026
Semien hit a two-run homer in the second, Torrens added a two-run single with two outs in the fourth and Soto hit his third career slam to cap a five-run sixth as the Mets inched past the Marlins into fourth place in the NL East.
—Cbs New York Team, CBS News, 31 May 2026
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average inched down 30 points.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 31 May 2026
Housing plans Prospects for Pritzker’s ambitious package of proposals to build more housing in Illinois seemed murky Friday, though several pieces of legislation have inched forward in recent days.
—Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2026
Former Harford County Council member Aaron Penman inched closer Friday to potentially being returned to his former seat during a hearing in circuit court.
—Bryan P. Sears, Baltimore Sun, 29 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inched
Verb
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Kenya has experienced incidents of land grabbing in the past, and environmentalists have often spoken out when parks and other green spaces are encroached upon.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 June 2026
-
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
Verb
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In that second leadership election, he was roundly defeated by Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran socialist whose victory dragged the party leftwards.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
-
As the Bucks dragged their feet on the Antetokounmpo situation, a number of other teams gave up on the season entirely.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
Street sweepers and garbage trucks crawled through roads fans had packed hours earlier.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
18 June 2026
-
Last December, a rat appeared from the overhead bins and crawled behind a curtain in the cabin while a flight was en route from Amsterdam to Aruba, according to previous reporting from USA TODAY.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Separately, Miami-Dade received another $7 million in federal dollars just for World Cup transportation costs — an expense that has crept higher in the two years since the Host Committee originally floated the $46 million subsidy package for Miami-Dade to cover World Cup security and logistics.—
Douglas Hanks
June 17,
Miami Herald,
17 June 2026
-
Flames crept across a Rio Linda meadow Tuesday as firefighters from three agencies intentionally set fire to 35 acres of dry grass — not to battle a wildfire, but to prevent one.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
After about 10 minutes of sitting frozen in place, the seven-year-old shuffled out of the room with his mother, sister and grandmother.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
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The outsize failings of the men in power demand a grand reimagining of the consequences of those failings, and Helen of Nowhere offers up, exhilaratingly and naughtily, a myth for the man who needs to be shuffled offstage one way or another.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 June 2026
Verb
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The view was uncommonly broad, and the city skyline poked out of the eastern sky.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
16 June 2026
-
Jo Adell poked a tying single through the infield moments later.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inched. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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