encroach Hear it!

encroach Definition

en·croach (en krōc̸h′, in-)

intransitive verb

  1. to trespass or intrude (on or upon the rights, property, etc. of another), esp. in a gradual or sneaking way
  2. to advance beyond the proper, original, or customary limits; make inroads (on or upon)

Etymology: ME encrochen < OFr encrochier, to seize upon, take < en-, in + croc, croche, a hook: see crosier

Related Forms:

encroach Synonyms

encroach

v.

infringe, trespass, invade, overstep; see meddle 1. See syn. study at trespass.

encroach Law Definition

v

To unlawfully gain access to or take the property or possessions of another, particularly by stealth.
encroach Usage Examples

Object

  • scrub: Volunteers will remove encroaching scrub from special scrapes cleared to provide ideal butterfly habitat.
  • vegetation: Sites quickly disappeared under encroaching vegetation, recognizable only by mounds of slag; mines filled with water.
  • darkness: Steven Erikson's powerful, angry, hopeful story shines a brave light on the encroaching darkness.
  • cloud: Almost clear sky at first but broken cloud encroached during the morning.
  • desert: Here we have a beautiful country estate, a haven of peace and tranquility, an oasis in an ever encroaching desert.
  • sea: Some local people in certain areas of coastal Alaska have to contemplate moving to avoid the encroaching seas.

Preposition: on

  • territory: In 1753 Virginia warned the French on the Ohio that they were encroaching on British territory.
  • land: It did not encroach on the recreational land in any way.
  • space: In your first active missions the aliens start to encroach on the human space.

Preposition: onto

  • land: Hogweed is chiefly a problem on pasture but may encroach onto arable land from the hedgerow or headland.

Modifying Another Word

  • steadily: Beyond it, steadily encroaching onto the dusty, poverty-ridden streets of the town lies the western margin of the great Sahara desert.
  • gradually: These Semitic tribes had been gradually encroaching into the northern delta area taking control of much of the land in the north of Egypt.
  • rapidly: In the eighteenth century the Newtonian universe was rapidly encroaching.
  • increasingly: Indeed, the legal profession has already found its territory is being increasingly encroached upon from exactly such outside professions.
  • fast: But these days, mobile phones are fast encroaching on the camera market and you might be thinking of upgrading.
  • ever: Now there were new laws, designed to protect the space needed by the living from the ever encroaching population of the dead.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • upon: However the thing they liked about these ads was that they didn't encroach upon their focus, the articles.
  • on: This stage was composed largely of chalk blocks, quarried from the hillside it was beginning to encroach on.

Preposition: upon

  • coverage: Access to capital encroaches upon coverage are quot laid cost of car.
  • land: This resulted in the surrounding householders encroaching upon this land by extending their gardens.