encroachment
AmericanOther Word Forms
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.
The Gemini military business might eventually represent a small encroachment on Palantir’s turf, but the larger message is that the military will adopt a lot of AI tools in the future.
From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026
That’s why unions and other representatives of filmmaking humans are nervous about the encroachment of AI into their livelihoods.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
The only visible law enforcement presence is a police car rammed across the driveway, signaling the limits of encroachment, like an invisible wall in a video game.
From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026
While banks have embraced some aspects of crypto—helping people invest in bitcoin and using digital assets to make money transfers more efficient—they are drawing a line at encroachment on their core business: consumer deposits.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
From the time the first Portuguese explorer, Pedro Álvares Cabral, discovered Brazil in the year 1500, the Indian population was negatively impacted—from disease to enslavement to encroachment on their land and way of life.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
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.
