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
As airstrikes inched closer, al-Salim, his wife and three sons fled their southern village of Siddiqin and arrived at a school in Haret Saida after 18 hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
—
Isabel Debre, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Nick Reiner, the man accused of murdering his parents, beloved director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, briefly appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday as his case inched closer to trial.
—Madeline Morrison, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
The Conference Board’s gauge that measures consumer confidence inched up the last two months but remains near its lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, oil prices and Treasury yields inched higher, signaling that uncertainty about the Strait of Hormuz reopening continues in the background.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 27 Apr. 2026
The Labor Department’s report Thursday showed that the four-week moving average of jobless claims, which evens out some of the weekly volatility, inched up by 750 to 210,750.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
The group of seven, which included three children, managed to climb up to a ledge on the cliff as 16-foot waves inched closer by the minute.
—Holly Williams, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Excluding fuel surcharges, the company’s brokerage division saw revenue per load increase 9 percent year over year, while the truckload unit inched up 3 percent.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 20 Apr. 2026
In the first quarter of 2026, California saw a 14 percent decline in filming in the state even as its production spend inched up 2 percent, according to a report from ProdPro.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2026
Isabel Debre, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Nick Reiner, the man accused of murdering his parents, beloved director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, briefly appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday as his case inched closer to trial.
—Madeline Morrison, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
The Conference Board’s gauge that measures consumer confidence inched up the last two months but remains near its lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, oil prices and Treasury yields inched higher, signaling that uncertainty about the Strait of Hormuz reopening continues in the background.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 27 Apr. 2026
The Labor Department’s report Thursday showed that the four-week moving average of jobless claims, which evens out some of the weekly volatility, inched up by 750 to 210,750.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
The group of seven, which included three children, managed to climb up to a ledge on the cliff as 16-foot waves inched closer by the minute.
—Holly Williams, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Excluding fuel surcharges, the company’s brokerage division saw revenue per load increase 9 percent year over year, while the truckload unit inched up 3 percent.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 20 Apr. 2026
In the first quarter of 2026, California saw a 14 percent decline in filming in the state even as its production spend inched up 2 percent, according to a report from ProdPro.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inched
Verb
-
On their endless search for nutrients, hyphae encroached into empty spaces.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
6 Apr. 2026
-
But ever since, the family has alleged individuals have encroached on their beach, forcing them to put up no trespassing signs and hire private security, according to a supplemental complaint filed by Brian against the Walton County Sheriff’s Office last year.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Baselitz was charged with offending public morality; the case dragged on for two years before being dismissed, but his reputation was cemented.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
1 May 2026
-
But whether this person galumphed, ambled, or dragged herself up the trail is a matter of what subtleties her movement suggested to you.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The next day, steady rains caused the F1 Academy race to be cancelled and the first 20 laps of the Miami Grand Prix to be crawled behind the safety car.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
2 May 2026
-
San Francisco wasted opportunities to score in the second and third, loading the bases in the latter frame, but the Giants crawled their way back to a tie.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Every scene that would otherwise communicate pandemonium is rendered in the language of sub-Ryan Murphy slop, as if a movie whose production costs reportedly crept toward $200 million could only afford a few extras at a time.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Since then, the Phillies have gone 3-15, and the Giants have crept back into the land of the living.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Carlos Mendoza isn’t to blame, nor are this group of players, who are being shuffled around the field like Yahtzee dice.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
-
While the administration has shuffled funding to pay DHS employees during the shutdown, those funds are expected to dry up in the first week of May if Congress doesn’t act beforehand.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
On Thursday, before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Kimmel poked fun at the event on his late night show, sharing faux remarks for his own dinner.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Apr. 2026
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The host also poked fun at the Trumps’ living separately despite being married for 22 years.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inched. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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