1
as in encroaching
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 dragging
to move slowly
the car inched carefully across the snow-covered causeway
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in imperceptible
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in ambling
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inching
Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2025
On the floor next to them, a small gray, white and yellow cockatiel named Russel is seen slowly inching closer while whistling a song.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Denver Post via Getty Images As August winds down, the start of training camp around the NBA is inching closer.
—Bobby Krivitsky, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
McLean lasted eight innings and struck out six in the 6-0 win over the Phillies, inching New York to within four games of the National League East division lead.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The treatment is inching closer to becoming a new, needle-free alternative in the highly lucrative market for weight loss and diabetes drugs called GLP-1s.
—Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2025
Last week’s release of the 2025-26 NBA schedule means Magic basketball is inching closer and closer.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2025
The end appears to be inching closer for the Estes Kefauver Federal Building in downtown Nashville.
—Austin Hornbostel, Nashville Tennessean, 14 Aug. 2025
Here are more Denver old-timers preserving the city’s culinary and cultural past while inching toward the future, in alphabetical order.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
This, of course, all happens with the 2026 FIFA World Cup inching closer.
—Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2025
On the floor next to them, a small gray, white and yellow cockatiel named Russel is seen slowly inching closer while whistling a song.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Denver Post via Getty Images As August winds down, the start of training camp around the NBA is inching closer.
—Bobby Krivitsky, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
McLean lasted eight innings and struck out six in the 6-0 win over the Phillies, inching New York to within four games of the National League East division lead.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The treatment is inching closer to becoming a new, needle-free alternative in the highly lucrative market for weight loss and diabetes drugs called GLP-1s.
—Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2025
Last week’s release of the 2025-26 NBA schedule means Magic basketball is inching closer and closer.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2025
The end appears to be inching closer for the Estes Kefauver Federal Building in downtown Nashville.
—Austin Hornbostel, Nashville Tennessean, 14 Aug. 2025
Here are more Denver old-timers preserving the city’s culinary and cultural past while inching toward the future, in alphabetical order.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inching
Verb
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But if your peonies are flowering less over time or nearby plants are encroaching on their growing space, dividing them in fall is one simple solution.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Sep. 2025
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The general rule is that a property owner in Arizona is allowed, at the property owner’s expense, to trim encroaching roots or branches back to the property line.—
Christopher A. Combs,
AZCentral.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Sesame and potato as a combo is, in fact, reminiscent of the days of our collective childhoods, when experimentation looked like dragging Wendy’s fries through a vanilla Frosty.—
Lyndsay C. Green,
Freep.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Samuel cut inside off an excellent lead block by Croskey-Merritt and shed nickel back Dru Phillips’ tackle attempt before dragging linebacker Bobby Okereke with him to the goal line for a touchdown.—
David Aldridge,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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These nearly imperceptible primordial magnetic fields, despite their weakness, would have played a key role in the universe’s development.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Sep. 2025
-
That dynamic fidelity is all the more impressive for being almost imperceptible.—
Book Marks
August 29,
Literary Hub,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Another client, a senior executive negotiating a promotion, felt the old narrative of 'don’t ask for too much' creeping in mid-discussion.—
Naz Beheshti,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Fire was backing and creeping throughout the night.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Occasionally, as in the obscurity of Legion’s later episodes or the plodding pace of some Fargo plots, this approach can verge on self-indulgence.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The centipede the Redditor found crawling in her bed.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Aug. 2025
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My death was supposed to be crawling up inside of the locker that the cat used to go in.—
Matthew Jacobs,
Vulture,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Domingo’s jacket was paired with black tapered trousers and black shoes.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
2 Sep. 2025
-
With a short base cut, tapered front locks, and slightly longer layers, the Trinity cut sits somewhere between a pixie cut and a bob, borrowing from the cyberpunk aesthetic of the films.—
Jeanne Ballion,
Vogue,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The three actors were filming a lighthearted scene, shuffling excitedly between a hot sauna and cold plunge, when Reeves’ foot caught on some flooring.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2025
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The film essentially takes place entirely within an under-20-minute timeline, showing the same events from a shuffling deck of points of view.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inching. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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