inroads

noun

plural of inroad
as in incursions
a sudden attack on and entrance into hostile territory the army is finally making inroads into enemy territory

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 inroads That could bode well for future foreign language films looking to make inroads with mainstream audiences. — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026 And the films shot here were often standard multiplex fare, not exactly making inroads in storytelling or vision. — Felicia Feaster, AJC.com, 24 Sep. 2026 Netflix partnered with the AI voice generation company ElevenLabs, which has been making inroads in Hollywood in recent years collaborating with both studios and celebrities. — Lauren Wilson, NBC news, 23 Sep. 2026 Democratic leaders have dismissed Rogers' efforts at inroads. — CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026 Critics decried Google's move as an escalation of the race between tech giants to make inroads in schools and win over the next generation of AI users. — ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026 On the heels of a paper-thin primary victory, Jewish voters are not the only group El-Sayed needed to make inroads with. — Sam Gringlas, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026 Uzbekistan confirmed its purchase of Chinese J-10CE jets, becoming the second country after Pakistan to add the fighter to its arsenal, as Beijing makes inroads into high-end defense. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Under Maduro, Venezuela and its oil sector had come under increasing Chinese influence and control, with Russia also making inroads into the sector. — David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inroads
  1. incursions
  2. invasions
  3. raids
Noun
  • The vote prolongs the crisis and raises the chance of early elections at a time of regional security concerns, with the NATO member confronting a sharp increase in drone incursions linked to Russia’s war in neighboring Ukraine.
    — Stephen McGrath, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
  • These subterranean incursions pose severe risks to public safety, essential utility grids and critical transit infrastructure.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of incursions
Noun
  • The trailer cuts between the printing press, lavish dinner parties, trains, home invasions and kidnappings, showing just how far the new tabloid is willing to go.
    — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
  • These incidents heighten fears of physical attacks and social engineering, as attackers leverage personal data for home invasions and kidnappings, a trend Chainalysis notes is rising.
    — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of invasions
Noun
  • Coleman recalled a recent New York Times article that highlighted how immigration raids this summer — which surpassed 50,000 arrests in July and August — received little public backlash compared to last year’s wave.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • In the United States, meanwhile, cities have come under siege by federal authorities carrying out sweeping anti-migrant raids.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of raids

Browse Nearby Words

inroad
inroads
inrush
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inroads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inroads. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of regimen

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
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
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All