encroach
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to advance beyond proper, established, or usual limits; make gradual inroads.
A dictatorship of the majority is encroaching on the rights of the individual.
-
to trespass upon the property, domain, or rights of another, especially stealthily or by gradual advances.
verb
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to intrude gradually, stealthily, or insidiously upon the rights, property, etc, of another
-
to advance beyond the usual or proper limits
Synonym Usage
See trespass.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has encroachedperfect 3rd person singular
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have encroachedperfect
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has been encroachingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are encroachingprogressive
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have been encroachingperfect progressive
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encroachingparticiple
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is encroachingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am encroachingprogressive 1st person singular
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encroachessingular 3rd person
Past
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had encroachedperfect
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was encroachingprogressive singular
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were encroachingprogressive plural
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had been encroachingperfect progressive
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encroachedsimple
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encroachedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of encroach
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English encrochen, from Anglo-French encrocher, Old French encrochier “to catch hold of, seize,” equivalent to en- en- 1 + -crochier, verbal derivative of croc “hook,” from Germanic; see crooked, crook 1
Explanation
To encroach is to overstep your bounds, to take over space or rights that belong to another, like your brother whose mess always encroaches on your side of the room you share. The verb encroach comes from the Old French word encrochier, meaning “seize, fasten on, catch with a hook.” If others slowly take over what belongs to you, they encroach, like people who encroach on your personal space at a crowded concert, or someone whose questions get more and more personal, which encroaches on your privacy.
Vocabulary lists containing encroach
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
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American Football, 3rd Quarter
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"A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
