as in creeping
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits
each year the sea continues to encroach upon the island's beaches
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Recent Examples of encroaching
An encroaching fog is disrupting the ferry schedule.
—
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026
Space can also prove an issue, because some school administrators see even tiny gardens in 5-gallon buckets as encroaching on their schools’ playgrounds.
—Shelley Mitchell, The Conversation, 23 Apr. 2026
Songs here that start off surprisingly bracing resolve into big, sleek choruses, the work of firm believers in the power of heroic, high-protein mainstream alt-rock as a salve against encroaching darkness.
—Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2026
The birds helped keep snakes at bay and warned of encroaching bobcats.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
North Carolina's human population has tripled, encroaching on alligator habitats, making interactions far more likely.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
The unusual crash underscores a growing problem across North Texas, where invasive wild pigs — now found in nearly every county — are increasingly encroaching on neighborhoods and roadways, causing damage, safety concerns and costly disruptions.
—Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Since September, Rwanda’s government has been mapping agricultural land and using satellite imagery to track any development encroaching on farmlands and forests in a country where the population is expected to reach 22 million in a couple of years.
—Evelyne Musambi, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Since September, Rwanda's government has been mapping agricultural land and using satellite imagery to track any development encroaching on farmlands and forests in a country where the population is expected to reach 22 million in a couple of years.
—ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026
Space can also prove an issue, because some school administrators see even tiny gardens in 5-gallon buckets as encroaching on their schools’ playgrounds.
—Shelley Mitchell, The Conversation, 23 Apr. 2026
Songs here that start off surprisingly bracing resolve into big, sleek choruses, the work of firm believers in the power of heroic, high-protein mainstream alt-rock as a salve against encroaching darkness.
—Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2026
The birds helped keep snakes at bay and warned of encroaching bobcats.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
North Carolina's human population has tripled, encroaching on alligator habitats, making interactions far more likely.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
The unusual crash underscores a growing problem across North Texas, where invasive wild pigs — now found in nearly every county — are increasingly encroaching on neighborhoods and roadways, causing damage, safety concerns and costly disruptions.
—Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Since September, Rwanda’s government has been mapping agricultural land and using satellite imagery to track any development encroaching on farmlands and forests in a country where the population is expected to reach 22 million in a couple of years.
—Evelyne Musambi, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Since September, Rwanda's government has been mapping agricultural land and using satellite imagery to track any development encroaching on farmlands and forests in a country where the population is expected to reach 22 million in a couple of years.
—ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encroaching
Verb
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For another easy-to-care-for choice that relishes sunlight, look to creeping juniper and its beautifully hazy blue-green leaves.—
Melissa Epifano,
The Spruce,
28 Apr. 2026
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That dingy look creeping across the screens and settling on every surface?—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Hezbollah fighters have also inflicted significant casualties on invading Israeli forces.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
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Watermelon Pictures, the company founded by brothers Badie and Hamza Ali, earned an Oscar nomination this year for The Voice of Hind Rajab, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, a film set in Gaza based on the true story of a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed in 2024 by invading Israeli forces.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Encroaching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encroaching. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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