inroad

[in-rohd]

See more synonyms for inroad on Thesaurus.com

noun

a damaging or serious encroachment: inroads on our savings.
a sudden hostile or predatory incursion; raid; foray.

Origin of inroad

First recorded in 1540–50; in-¹ + road

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for inroads

Contemporary Examples

The state was a key Democratic pickup in 2008, a symbol of Democratic inroads into the Republican West.
Your Election Night Guide
The Daily Beast
November 1, 2010

Historical Examples

But as yet the life has made no inroads upon her moral health.
The Twins of Suffering Creek
Ridgwell Cullum
But no amount of world-wisdom can set a man above the inroads of superstition.
David Elginbrod
George MacDonald
Resistance to the inroads of the barbarians was no longer possible.
A Key to the Knowledge of Church History (Ancient)
John Henry Blunt
Humanity had retreated from the inroads of the sea only after a stubborn fight.
The Shrieking Pit
Arthur J. Rees
There was no way yet for us to suspect their full activity—their inroads.
Unthinkable
Roger Phillips Graham

British Dictionary definitions for inroads

inroad

noun

an invasion or hostile attack; raid or incursion
an encroachment or intrusion

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 inroads

inroad

n.

1540s, "hostile incursion, raid, foray," from in- (2) "in;" second element is road in the obsolete sense of "riding;" related to raid. Related: Inroads.

Idioms and Phrases with inroads

inroads

see make inroads into.

inroad

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}inroad

Examples from the Web for inroads

Contemporary Examples

The state was a key Democratic pickup in 2008, a symbol of Democratic inroads into the Republican West.

Historical Examples

But as yet the life has made no inroads upon her moral health.

But no amount of world-wisdom can set a man above the inroads of superstition.

Resistance to the inroads of the barbarians was no longer possible.

Humanity had retreated from the inroads of the sea only after a stubborn fight.

There was no way yet for us to suspect their full activity—their inroads.

inroad

Word Origin and History for inroads

inroad

n.

Idioms and Phrases with inroads

inroads

Origin of inroad