1
as in encroaches
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
2
as in drags
to move slowly
the car inched carefully across the snow-covered causeway
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inches
Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 May 2026
Select dwarf or short varieties that thrive in the confines of a large container, at least 14 inches wide.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 May 2026
All modes of severe weather will be likely, but the main threat includes a significant risk of hail up to 2 inches in diameter and winds up to category 1 hurricane strength.
—Lauren Bostwick, CBS News, 9 May 2026
The next closest finishers reached 19 feet, 1 1/2 inches and 18 feet, 7 inches.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026
Loosen the edges of the roots, and place the hydrangea in the pot, leaving 2-3 inches above the root ball.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 8 May 2026
And at just under 31 inches wide, the chair will fit easily into both small and larger outdoor spaces.
—Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 8 May 2026
The blade was at least ten inches long and double-edged, honed on one side with a wavy scalloped finish, the other a jagged toothing like a lumberjack’s saw.
—Chang-Rae Lee, New Yorker, 3 May 2026
This dwarf variety averages about 15 inches tall, needs no trellis, and is perfect for patios, balconies, small spaces, and even windowsills.
—Emily Hayes, Martha Stewart, 2 May 2026
Erin Jones, CBS News, 7 Mar. 2026
Following a bout of social media virality, a scout with Troop 71047 named Pim has sold over 100,000 boxes of cookies and counting, and every sale inches her closer to breaking the record for most Girl Scout Cookies ever sold.
—Kate Perez, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2026
Sierra Canyon will host Crespi on Saturday as the team inches closer to an undefeated Mission League campaign.
—Dan Lovi, Daily News, 22 Jan. 2026
Republicans can comfort themselves that a win is still a win—and that their House majority inches up to 220–213, at least until other vacancies kick in.
—Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
The news comes as Hendricks Commercial Properties inches closer to a massive overhaul of the mall that could take years to complete.
—Jenny Porter Tilley, IndyStar, 21 Nov. 2025
Clemson also inches back up into the top 50 for beating Florida State.
—Chris Vannini, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
As Congress inches closer to a possible government shutdown, many federal services North Carolinians depend on might be disrupted.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2025
Williams edged the Bills’ Josh Allen and Ravens’ Lamar Jackson for the honor, while Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa inches up one spot to 18th overall.
—Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
Noun
Montverde senior Grant Williams cleared 14-feet, 9-inches to win the boys pole vault.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 May 2026
Select dwarf or short varieties that thrive in the confines of a large container, at least 14 inches wide.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 May 2026
All modes of severe weather will be likely, but the main threat includes a significant risk of hail up to 2 inches in diameter and winds up to category 1 hurricane strength.
—Lauren Bostwick, CBS News, 9 May 2026
The next closest finishers reached 19 feet, 1 1/2 inches and 18 feet, 7 inches.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026
Loosen the edges of the roots, and place the hydrangea in the pot, leaving 2-3 inches above the root ball.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 8 May 2026
And at just under 31 inches wide, the chair will fit easily into both small and larger outdoor spaces.
—Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 8 May 2026
The blade was at least ten inches long and double-edged, honed on one side with a wavy scalloped finish, the other a jagged toothing like a lumberjack’s saw.
—Chang-Rae Lee, New Yorker, 3 May 2026
This dwarf variety averages about 15 inches tall, needs no trellis, and is perfect for patios, balconies, small spaces, and even windowsills.
—Emily Hayes, Martha Stewart, 2 May 2026
Verb
The car inches forward but does not clear the way.
—Erin Jones, CBS News, 7 Mar. 2026
Following a bout of social media virality, a scout with Troop 71047 named Pim has sold over 100,000 boxes of cookies and counting, and every sale inches her closer to breaking the record for most Girl Scout Cookies ever sold.
—Kate Perez, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2026
Sierra Canyon will host Crespi on Saturday as the team inches closer to an undefeated Mission League campaign.
—Dan Lovi, Daily News, 22 Jan. 2026
Republicans can comfort themselves that a win is still a win—and that their House majority inches up to 220–213, at least until other vacancies kick in.
—Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
The news comes as Hendricks Commercial Properties inches closer to a massive overhaul of the mall that could take years to complete.
—Jenny Porter Tilley, IndyStar, 21 Nov. 2025
Clemson also inches back up into the top 50 for beating Florida State.
—Chris Vannini, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
As Congress inches closer to a possible government shutdown, many federal services North Carolinians depend on might be disrupted.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2025
Williams edged the Bills’ Josh Allen and Ravens’ Lamar Jackson for the honor, while Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa inches up one spot to 18th overall.
—Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inches
Noun
-
Many of the precautions a traveler could take are similar to those that became familiar at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
Schlamminger said that’s a notable difference — such as measuring the height of a human and being a millimeter or two off.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Paglen’s ideas, collected between two covers, carve a clean, linear path through our messy neural era, engaging in the kind of big-picture sense-making that books remain well suited to do, even as AI encroaches on this terrain.—
Louis Bury,
ARTnews.com,
1 May 2026
-
Meta, Anthropic and Apple all now use TPUs, as Google increasingly encroaches on a market cornered by Nvidia's graphics processing units.—
Katie Tarasov,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The performance itself grows increasingly grating as the runtime drags on, particularly when Johnny’s scene partners overpower him by connecting deeper and doing less.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
6 May 2026
-
The same logic should apply to the papering process itself, the document drafting and redlining that drags on long after the business points are ostensibly settled.—
George Heller,
HollywoodReporter,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
The drawings contained in the design plans show the front elevation, top and projection of the president's desk in the Oval Office.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
At roughly 12,400 feet elevation, surrounded by steep terrain, loose rock and snow, there was no safe way up or down.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Think about how often your toddler crawls near the dog bed or your kids toss pet toys around the living room.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In the book, Grace drags Rocky back to his part of the ship, exposing himself to the Eridian environment; in the film, Rocky crawls back while Grace is unconscious.—
Matthew Razak,
Space.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Mira’s politics are still primarily shaped by her parents, but the culture creeps in.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Mildew creeps along the corners of the tub.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Kym is the family fuckup and a guilty party to its biggest tragedy but also constantly pokes the bear as its selfish verbal assassin.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
Instead, the robot simply pokes through it.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inches. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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