Meaning & use
encroached
Last updated
Gradually intruded on someone's territory, rights, or possessions.
See it in a sentence
The new housing development encroached on the protected wetland.
Critics argued that the surveillance program encroached on citizens' privacy.
A note on using this word
"Encroach" almost always implies a slow, creeping intrusion rather than a sudden one, and is typically followed by "on" or "upon."
Words with a similar meaning
intrudedinfringed
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
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