encroachment
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Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of encroachment
1425–75; late Middle English encrochement < Anglo-French. See encroach, -ment
Explanation
An encroachment is something that intrudes and has the power to influence whatever it encounters. Some might consider text messaging to be an encroachment of impersonal technology on true, heartfelt interactions. Encroachment carries the sense of something slowly creeping into something else's space, either literally or figuratively. An encroachment can be of the physical variety, such as the encroachment of new development into a beautiful coastal area. Encroachment typically has a slightly a negative meaning, hinting at something that intrudes on something and then spoils it in some way.
Vocabulary lists containing encroachment
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Federalist Papers, No. 51 by James Madison
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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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.
See Examples For:
And yet, the encroachment on academic freedom has become both more extreme and more inchoate.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
However, a New York Times report on Monday pointed to deep concerns on the Greenlandic side about encroachment of sovereignty.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
Akbarzadeh said Iran would “not allow any kind of encroachment upon its waters and interests.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
Brussels argued however that it didn't have the legal authority to ban the practices, and that any such move would be an encroachment on member states' powers.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
Despite these brutal acts, the Powhatans continued to resist encroachment.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Patrolling has also reduced small-scale encroachments, but infrastructure projects including multiple dams are still driving deforestation.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
In response, tech-savvy users are taking to social media platforms and encrypted messaging apps to warn their communities, in real time, of encroachments from immigration agents.
From Slate ● May 16, 2025
But Washington is watching China’s encroachments south of the border closely.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2025
He added that the DDA frequently acted against encroachments on government land, including by temples, and that it had demolished five temples in a different neighbourhood on the same day as the mosque.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2024
I tried to picture him, working at his laptop in our sunny kitchen, but the image was spoilt by encroachments from his new life.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
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.
