encroach
verb (used without object)
to advance beyond proper, established, or usual limits; make gradual inroads.
is encroaching
-
present progressiveof encroach (3rd person singular).present progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or state that is currently taking place in the immediate present.
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.
Gyms are positioning themselves as alternative spaces for socialising, its senior director of leisure and trends Paul Davies says, which is "encroaching on the traditional role of bars and nightclubs".
From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2026
It’s about territory, and one side is encroaching on the other’s home turf.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026
Buettner and others blame the Western lifestyle, which is encroaching.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 20, 2024
Saltwater is encroaching on parts of the aquifers that provide drinking water for the 3 million people who live east of New York City’s Queens and Brooklyn boroughs.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 29, 2023
So democracy, though black, is encroaching in the world-old way on aristocracy; how far Negroes can go toward real democratic citizenship in the various lines—industrial, political, social—no man knows.
From Following the Color Line an account of Negro citizenship in the American democracy by Grayson, David
