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:
The film is best remembered as a statement of Nolan’s resistance to the encroachment of streaming.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The new technology was all the more vital given the frequency with which viruses are now emerging due to population growth, greater movement across borders and human encroachment on animal habitats, he said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
And yet, the encroachment on academic freedom has become both more extreme and more inchoate.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
If the former Beatle does join them backstage, he may find that the encroachment of age has altered their pre-show rituals.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 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
Pop music was not at all safe this year from the encroachments of an AI industry determined to slop-ify everything it can.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2025
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 it is likely to be welcomed by those who have called for a clear strategy to handle China's encroachments.
From BBC ● May 21, 2023
He gained his reputation as an effective writer against British encroachments but was a reclusive nonpresence in debates.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
