1
as in imperceptible
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
2
as in ambling
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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
2
as in dragging
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 inching
Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 16 Mar. 2026
The regime that held the Middle East hostage with proxy armies, ballistic missiles and a nuclear program inching toward a weapon has lost its leadership, its senior military command and significant parts of its offensive capability.
—Andrew Ghalili, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
Still, this most recent slump was inching this team closer to the annals of franchise infamy.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
The video, posted on TikTok by Austin Realtor Matthew Turnage, shows the Waymo blocking the street with the ambulance inching closer.
—Karoline Leonard, Austin American Statesman, 2 Mar. 2026
This new skin-tint-meets-balm from IT Cosmetics has quickly become a staple in my routine, especially as a woman inching closer to her 40s.
—Sara Tan, Allure, 27 Feb. 2026
Using drone surveys to map the forest canopy, the team tested how views might shift if certain trees were felled, inching toward a location that felt both deliberate and deferential to the land.
—Leonora Epstein, Architectural Digest, 27 Feb. 2026
With the 2026 growing season inching ever closer, now is an excellent time of year for vegetable gardeners to reacquaint themselves with the essential piece to their successful production upon which every other facet of their garden success is built.
—Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
That, Farah said, is the powerful differentiator between those who feel stuck and those who keep inching forward.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Verb
Jeffries slammed the idea that the White House and congressional Republicans could be inching toward putting supplemental funding for Iran in a bill and passing it through a budget process called reconciliation to bypass the 60-vote threshold in the upper chamber.
—Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 16 Mar. 2026
The regime that held the Middle East hostage with proxy armies, ballistic missiles and a nuclear program inching toward a weapon has lost its leadership, its senior military command and significant parts of its offensive capability.
—Andrew Ghalili, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
Still, this most recent slump was inching this team closer to the annals of franchise infamy.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
The video, posted on TikTok by Austin Realtor Matthew Turnage, shows the Waymo blocking the street with the ambulance inching closer.
—Karoline Leonard, Austin American Statesman, 2 Mar. 2026
This new skin-tint-meets-balm from IT Cosmetics has quickly become a staple in my routine, especially as a woman inching closer to her 40s.
—Sara Tan, Allure, 27 Feb. 2026
Using drone surveys to map the forest canopy, the team tested how views might shift if certain trees were felled, inching toward a location that felt both deliberate and deferential to the land.
—Leonora Epstein, Architectural Digest, 27 Feb. 2026
With the 2026 growing season inching ever closer, now is an excellent time of year for vegetable gardeners to reacquaint themselves with the essential piece to their successful production upon which every other facet of their garden success is built.
—Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
That, Farah said, is the powerful differentiator between those who feel stuck and those who keep inching forward.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inching
Adjective
-
Others were more imperceptible, like Rihanna on the red carpet with a baby bump.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2026
-
My dream foundation is one that conceals blemishes but is so imperceptible that people will ask me about my skin care routine.—
Kaelin Dodge,
InStyle,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
On her grandmother's island of Ambae, a coastal road from the airport to her village has been rerouted inland because of encroaching water.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
On her grandmother’s island of Ambae, a coastal road from the airport to her village has been rerouted inland because of encroaching water.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Jones continued to pull on the bag, dragging the man around, according to the footage.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Pulled straight out of Ireland and dropped onto 14th Street, Grace’s boasts dim candlelight, brotherly bartenders, and a leveled grit that leaves you teetering between kicking off a folk song or dragging from a cigarette from a stranger outside.—
Charlie Hobbs,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
His jogging gait is a bit plodding.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
-
His two-time matchup was Alejandro Kirk, an excellent hitter but, at 5-foot-8 and 245 pounds, a plodding runner.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Because the weeds will start creeping through the cracks in no time, grab the Grampa’s Weeder that gardeners in their 50s, 60s, and 70s use without bending down.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 Mar. 2026
-
And despite volatility across markets, oil prices don’t seem to be creeping back toward catastrophic levels.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
For the 98th Academy Awards, Roach is sporting a short pixie-like look complete with piecey, tousled layers and tapered sides.—
Jaimie Potters,
InStyle,
15 Mar. 2026
-
This dripping results in most of the water freezing at the base, with less freezing at the tip, giving it a tapered shape.—
Ray Petelin,
CBS News,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Thomas missed 57 games last season, mostly because of the same lingering left hamstring issue.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2026
-
On the one hand, that means that many survive the disease without serious lingering effects.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
18 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Hanson, who spends much of his life crawling through underbrush to count trees, plunged ahead into stands of chest-high ceanothus, pointing out sequoias camouflaged in the pervasive post-fire brush.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
That didn’t bother the three roaches crawling on the floor by a carbon dioxide tank inside the storage room behind the office.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inching. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
