inching 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in imperceptible

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2
as in ambling

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inching

2 of 2

verb

present participle of inch
1
as in encroaching
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits every year the water inches further up the embankments, threatening to permanently engulf the island city

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2
as in dragging
to move slowly the car inched carefully across the snow-covered causeway

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inching
Verb
Camarillo hit 99 degrees, inching past the previous record of 98 set in 1953. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 Five years later, as the assembly meets this week, the world's climate commitments are dangerously offtrack, and the phase down of coal is inching along. — ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026 The video shows the water inching along its path slower than a boy calmly walking ahead of it. — Dale Denwalt, Oklahoman, 22 Sep. 2026 The agency issued an order creating a temporary pathway for trading certain tokenized stocks, inching financial markets closer to 24/7 trading. — Talia Kaplan, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026 California gas price climbed 16 cents in the past week, inching closer to the state’s all-time record. — Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026 Now, in everything from deep indigo to faded washes, denim is once again inching wider at the hem, landing somewhere between a classic bootcut and a dramatic flare. — Amanda Le, InStyle, 20 Sep. 2026 Michigan's retail gas and diesel prices have risen noticeably every day this week, with gas prices inching closer to $5 a gallon and diesel prices continuing to set record highs, according to AAA's database. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026 Sergio Gutiérrez is inching toward a rare honor few people get. — Idaho Statesman, 16 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inching
  1. imperceptible
  2. plodding
  3. encroaching
  4. dragging
  5. tapered
  6. lingering
  7. creeping
  8. loitering
Adjective
  • Through a meditative duet between the performer’s cognition and their autonomic nervous system, activities that were largely imperceptible to an outside observer became known to the performer.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Meta offers a virtually imperceptible edge in sharpness—37 pixels per degree compared with Apple's 34—but Apple's broader view and sheer pixel count give it the clear win.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of imperceptible
Adjective
  • Bennie Liebenberg, a former geologist at the mine who was serving as our guide, has the plodding, slightly wide-eyed manner of someone who has spent a lot of time underground.
    — James Dinneen, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026
  • During the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, activists from the gay community lambasted him and his institute for the plodding pace of research on the virus.
    — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026
Definition of plodding
Verb
  • Against encroaching social upheavals, the sovereign was resolutely the center of a mercantilist universe.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The law is designed to give state and local authorities permission to bring down drones encroaching on airports and major venues.
    — Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of encroaching
Verb
  • But an owners representative claims that part of the problem was Erica and Peter dragging their feet on providing backup documents for their application package.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Another video shows two men beating and dragging a man into a car.
    — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of dragging
Adjective
  • The Spanish royal opted for a monochrome ensemble, wearing black tapered trousers with a single-breasted blazer.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Set up an altar with long tapered candles, flowers, photographs.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of tapered
Adjective
  • Shohei Ohtani returned to the top of the Dodgers’ lineup Monday after four days off to address lingering aches, as the club effectively pauses its pitching program for the two-way star.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • No more distractions, no more lingering questions, just a baller who loves this sport and continues to level up.
    — Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of lingering
Verb
  • Carr takes a beat to scan the field, no doubt noticing three corners in press and an extra safety creeping toward the line.
    — Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • But there was something else that was creeping into his head.
    — Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of creeping
Adjective
  • Some victim advocates say human trafficking along Figueroa has escalated since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rollback of anti-loitering laws.
    — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of loitering

Browse Nearby Words

inches
inching
inchmeal
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Cite this Entry

“Inching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inching. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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