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encroach

[ en-krohch ]
/ ɛnˈkroʊtʃ /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR encroach ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (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.

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RELATED WORDS

intrude, infringe, trespass, usurp, impinge, overstep, crash, arrogate, intervene, interpose, interfere, trench, appropriate, entrench, meddle

Nearby words

  1. encourage,
  2. encouragement,
  3. encouraging,
  4. encrimson,
  5. encrinite,
  6. encroachment,
  7. encrust,
  8. encrustation,
  9. encrusted,
  10. encrypt

Origin of encroach

1275–1325; Middle English encrochen < Anglo-French encrocher, Old French encrochier to catch hold of, seize, equivalent to en- en-1 + -crochier, verbal derivative of croc hook < Germanic; see crooked, crook1
Related formsen·croach·er, nounun·en·croached, adjectiveun·en·croach·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for encroach

British Dictionary definitions for encroach

encroach

/ (ɪnˈkrəʊtʃ) /

verb (intr)

(often foll by on or upon) to intrude gradually, stealthily, or insidiously upon the rights, property, etc, of another
to advance beyond the usual or proper limits
Derived Formsencroacher, nounencroachingly, adverbencroachment, noun

Word Origin for encroach

C14: from Old French encrochier to seize, literally: fasten upon with hooks, from en- 1 + croc hook, of Germanic origin; see crook
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for encroach

encroach

v.

early 14c., "acquire, get," from Old French encrochier "seize, fasten on, hang on (to), cling (to); hang up, suspend," literally "to catch with a hook," from en- "in" (see en- (1)) + croc "hook," from Old Norse krokr "hook" (see crook). Meaning "seize wrongfully" is from c.1400. Sense of "trespass" is first recorded 1530s. Related: Encroached; encroaches; encroaching.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper