inched

verb

Definition of inchednext
past tense of inch
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

Relevance
2
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 In stock markets abroad, indexes inched higher in Europe following a stronger finish in Asia. — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026 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 The draw inched Cape Verde closer to the knockout stage. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inched
  1. encroached
  2. dragged
  3. crawled
  4. crept
  5. shuffled
  6. poked
Verb
  • Stark said developers have encroached on her community in Chandler.
    — Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 21 July 2026
  • Lawyers for both YouTube and Meta also consistently posed questions throughout the trial about whether the evidence and arguments encroached on legal protections for tech companies around content posted by third parties.
    — Kaitlyn Huamani, Fortune, 15 July 2026
Definition of encroached
Verb
  • The public information request process dragged on for several months.
    — Kelsy Mittauer, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • According to Lupo, Boise’s above-average traffic congestion, coupled with a lack of economic diversity, dragged Boise’s score down in this category.
    — Hali Smith July 30, Idaho Statesman, 30 July 2026
Definition of dragged
Verb
  • Figures depicting the Pink Panther, Spider Man and the Minions have perched or crawled atop the Dome.
    — Mandalit del Barco, NPR, 31 July 2026
  • One of Thursday’s stations included the ‘Confidence Course,’ where campers crawled through tight spaces and wooden obstacles in their heavy gear.
    — Julianna Mejia July 31, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
Definition of crawled
Verb
  • More three-safety personnel packages have crept onto the field lately, which have given veteran safety and free-agent addition Mike Brown some nickelback duties that usually fall to Marcus Jones.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 30 July 2026
  • As flames crept closer to Bordeaux, neighboring Spain also oversaw its own fire evacuations.
    — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 26 July 2026
Definition of crept
Verb
  • The Playoff remains parked at 12 teams, and some G6 conferences shuffled teams, now including North Dakota State and Sacramento State.
    — Jason Kirk, New York Times, 31 July 2026
  • Black voters were shuffled around Houston, with much of the previous 9th Congressional District becoming the new 18th District.
    — Rahul Mukherjee, NPR, 23 July 2026
Definition of shuffled
Verb
  • Offering a clever twist, the warm cake is poked with the handle of a wooden spoon, creating space for a vanilla-pineapple pudding to sink deep into the crumb.
    — Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Let sit at room temperature until buns are puffed and expanded to edges of muffin cups (dough will spring back when poked but hold a slight indentation), 25–35 minutes.
    — Claire Saffitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of poked

Browse Nearby Words

inch by inch
inched
inches
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Cite this Entry

“Inched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inched. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on inched

Nglish: Translation of inched for Spanish Speakers

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