- present participle of encroach.
encroaching
Americanadjective
-
advancing beyond proper, accepted, or usual limits; making gradual inroads into or onto something.
We cleared out the encroaching weeds along the edge of the driveway and trimmed the plantain trees.
-
trespassing on the property, domain, or rights of another, especially stealthily or gradually.
The hill forts in the British Isles were probably built by the native Britons to defend themselves against encroaching enemy tribes.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of encroaching
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Encroaching flames caused the main facility that disassembles America’s nuclear arsenal to pause operations Tuesday night, but it was open for normal work by Wednesday.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 29, 2024
Encroaching gold prospectors and mining endanger their current existence as increasing development presents a danger to both the people and the earth.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2021
Encroaching shade will also chase away tall fescues; install beds with shade-tolerant plants in those areas.
From Washington Post • Aug. 25, 2020
Encroaching flames, despite the near-constant threat of fire in the bone-dry state, presented an entirely different hazard.
From Fox News • Nov. 9, 2018
Encroaching vines were securely confined within their proper limits, and grass that wandered into the gravel paths sought for itself a merciless destruction.
From The Bow of Orange Ribbon A Romance of New York by Hampe, Theo.
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.
