inching 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in imperceptible

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in ambling

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

inching

2 of 2

verb

present participle of inch
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
Verb
The fitness legend began inching back into the spotlight in 2024 and was working on a Broadway musical of his life story at the time of his death. — Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026 The line is inching along slowly, and the clouds are threatening rain, but no one seems bothered. — Natan Dvir, Curbed, 13 July 2026 SpaceX — Elon Musk’s rocket company tumbled to a fresh post-IPO low, inching closer to its offering price of $135. — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 13 July 2026 With the salary cap inching, rather than leaping, upwards, those motivations have only become stronger. — Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 9 July 2026 Royals manager Matt Quatraro announced that first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino is inching closer to returning from his injury. — Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026 The Guajes de Ayala community had warned law enforcement that the cartel was closing in on their town and also shared videos of cartel drones hovering overhead and the location of cartel fighters inching closer to their homes on social media. — ABC News, 8 July 2026 Southern California could be inching closer to the kind of major earthquake scientists have long expected, according to new research showing stress continues to build along two of the state’s most dangerous fault systems. — Velvet Wu july 3, Sacbee.com, 3 July 2026 Peace talks between the two countries are still inching along, with one of the key points up for discussion being how to regulate the flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. — Tristan Bove, Fortune, 1 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inching
  1. imperceptible
  2. plodding
  3. encroaching
  4. dragging
  5. tapered
  6. lingering
  7. creeping
  8. loitering
Adjective
  • The contact was imperceptible to the naked eye, but a space-age sensor in the ball had confirmed it.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
  • The tool, developed by independent AI engineer Luke Geel, analyzes past results and players’ activity—from posture to blink rate—spotting connections that might be imperceptible to the average viewer but visible to top pros.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 3 July 2026
Definition of imperceptible
Adjective
  • Brunson was too small (6-foot-2), not long enough (with a 6-foot-4 wingspan) and too plodding.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
  • Neither is known for having much of an off-the-dribble game that could hurt the plodding Porzingis or Horford.
    — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
Definition of plodding
Verb
  • Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett told lawmakers Tuesday that a sharp increase in threats targeting her and other justices is increasingly encroaching on their personal and family lives.
    — Lindsay Whitehurst, Fortune, 14 July 2026
  • The funk and rock sounds fight against ever-encroaching mud and hiss; pretty melodies are offset by punishing bass or rendered disorienting by creative panning in the mix.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 July 2026
Definition of encroaching
Verb
  • The untethered AUVs hover above the seabed instead of dragging equipment across it, reducing sediment disturbance and limiting ecosystem disruption.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 15 July 2026
  • Centre-back Chadi Riad flicks the outswinging corner across goal, with his team-mates’ runs dragging Haiti’s defence forward.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 July 2026
Definition of dragging
Adjective
  • The legs are also customizable, with 18 different options that range from mid-century tapered legs to modern mattes to more farmhouse-style turned wood options.
    — Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 16 July 2026
  • This flowy shirtdress with a polished collar and figure-flattering tapered waist is the blueprint.
    — Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 12 July 2026
Definition of tapered
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
Definition of lingering
Verb
  • They’re concentrated in the Southeast, but lone star ticks have been making their way north and creeping in from the coasts.
    — Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
  • Farther north in the Bay Area, residents should expect temperatures in the 90s and some hot spots creeping into the 100s with little relief from the heat overnight, the National Weather Service said.
    — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026
Definition of creeping
Adjective
  • Some victim advocates say human trafficking along Figueroa has escalated since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rollback of anti-loitering laws.
    — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of loitering

Browse Nearby Words

inches
inching
inchmeal
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inching. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on inching

Nglish: Translation of inching for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All