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The history behind encroach is likely to hook you in. The word derives from the Middle English encrochen, which means "to get or seize." The Anglo-French predecessor of encrochen is encrocher, which was formed by combining the prefix en- ("in") with the noun croche ("hook"). Croche also gave us our word crochet, in reference to the hooked needle used in that craft. Encroach carries the meaning of "intrude," both in terms of privilege or property. The word can also hop over legal barriers to describe a general advancement beyond desirable or normal limits (such as a hurricane that encroaches on the mainland).
Examples of encroach in a Sentence
WIRED, 14 Oct. 2023
Expanding cities have been encroaching on these nocturnal marsupials’ natural habitat.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Sep. 2023
Desperate to protect him from the Dark One, an army of powerful sorceresses must reckon with his burgeoning power and encroaching madness.
—Josie Howell | Jhowell@al.com, al, 31 Aug. 2023
One Puzzling Afternoon by Emily Critchley Edie, a grandmother struggling with encroaching memory loss, pursues a burning question: What happened to her friend Lucy, who vanished decades ago as a teenager?
—Staff Author, Peoplemag, 31 Aug. 2023
Saltwater is encroaching on parts of the aquifers that provide drinking water for the three million people who live east of Queens and Brooklyn.
—Mira Rojanasakul, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023
By that time, Kevin Foley, 42, was stranded in a Safeway parking lot, flames encroaching on multiple sides.
—Joshua Partlow, John Farrell, Brady Dennis, Brianna Sacks and Joanna Slater, The Washington Post, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Aug. 2023
The concern is that salt water from the Gulf of Mexico encroaching upriver will infiltrate the area’s water systems.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 26 Sep. 2023
Mathis draws a parallel between the legacy of a Black community in Bonaparte, once thriving but now reduced to just five members, and her characters’ struggle against encroaching white developers.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 7 Sep. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'encroach.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Encroach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encroach. Accessed 19 Oct. 2023.
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encroach
intransitive verb
Anglo-French encrocher, probably alteration of acrocher to catch hold of, seize, usurp, from Old French, from a-, prefix stressing goal + croc hook
More from Merriam-Webster on encroach
Nglish: Translation of encroach for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of encroach for Arabic Speakers
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