1
as in imperceptible
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2
as in ambling
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of inching
Carla Vianna, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Apr. 2026
One company has been diligently working on something like that and claims to be inching ever closer.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Australia’s nuclear-submarine acquisition plan is inching a step closer to reality with the United States’ new contract.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 24 Apr. 2026
The woman in the driver's seat of the truck appeared to be having a seizure and the truck kept inching toward the intersection of Tulip and Hellerman streets.
—Liz Crawford, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
The biggest media merger in years is inching closer to the finish line.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026
Chaos is almost certain with trades within the top group of selections and a surprise name or two inching its way into the conversation.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2026
However, the top end is inching upward with a 10% increase over 2025’s highest prices.
—Eve Chen, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
Michael King appears to be inching closer to his 2024 excellence.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
The English-speaking country saw a record number of visitors in 2025 and will host the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s State of the Tourism Industry Conference for the first time in 2026—two signs that its remote rainforests are inching toward the spotlight.
—Carla Vianna, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Apr. 2026
One company has been diligently working on something like that and claims to be inching ever closer.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Australia’s nuclear-submarine acquisition plan is inching a step closer to reality with the United States’ new contract.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 24 Apr. 2026
The woman in the driver's seat of the truck appeared to be having a seizure and the truck kept inching toward the intersection of Tulip and Hellerman streets.
—Liz Crawford, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
The biggest media merger in years is inching closer to the finish line.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026
Chaos is almost certain with trades within the top group of selections and a surprise name or two inching its way into the conversation.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2026
However, the top end is inching upward with a 10% increase over 2025’s highest prices.
—Eve Chen, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
Michael King appears to be inching closer to his 2024 excellence.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inching
Adjective
-
Because there are no limits on call time, the transition from customer service to therapy was often imperceptible.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Drummers’ timekeeping is fluid; even at its most rocksteady, it’s enlivened by tiny, imperceptible pauses and hiccups.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
Verb
-
Sam instead proposes that the performer dance to it without music, a prompt that is followed by Anne Hathaway flinging herself across the room, dragging her body across the floor in a hypnotic spectacle that seems to convey struggle, possession, and loss of control.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Even the sleeker Samsonite Proxis feels substantial without dragging you over the limit.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
His jogging gait is a bit plodding.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
That dingy look creeping across the screens and settling on every surface?—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The car’s most eye-catching feature is arguably its tapered posterior.—
Viju Mathew,
Robb Report,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The long, tapered length adds to the edgy effect.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
12 Apr. 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
-
Police said Morgan was seen crawling under a partially open garage door before jumping into a backyard pool.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Footage shared by Sky News showed the animal crawling up onto the eatery's counter.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inching. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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