inroad

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inroad^¹

/ˈɪnɹəʊd/ UK
/ˈɪnˌɹoʊd/ Canada, US

Where it comes from

The noun is derived from in + road (“(obsolete) act of riding on horseback; hostile ride against a particular area, raid”).

The verb is derived from the noun.

noun inroads

also, figuratively An advance into enemy territory, an attempted invasion; an encroachment, an incursion. […] That ſince that time he [Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus] was become the ſubject of King Henry [VIII] of England, his Majeſty's [James V of Scotland's] greateſt enemy; and was now the cauſe of all the Inroads made by the English into Scotland: […]
Similar: foray, inbreak, inbreaking, infall, raid
figuratively, plural normally Often followed by in, into, or on: initial progress made toward accomplishing a goal or solving a problem. Three weeks into it, I am finally beginning to make inroads on this project.

verb inroads · inroading · inroaded

archaic, intransitive To make advances or incursions. [Y]ou muſt not expect him to go with you, inroading or making incurſions into Georgia; for he is an Armenian, true to his faith; and not a Georgian, falſe and diſtruſtful!
obsolete, transitive To make an inroad into (something). [Y]ea, the Saracens had lately waſted Italy, conquered Spain, inroded Aquitain, and poſſeſſed ſome iſlands in the mid-land-ſea.
Similar: invade

Inroad^²

proper noun

A barangay of Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines.

Translations

Every language

noun advance into enemy territory — see also incursion

Français	percée, incursion
Deutsch	Einfall
Русский	нае́зд najézd, наше́ствие našéstvije

noun initial progress made toward accomplishing a goal or solving a problem

Français	percée, avancée, pas en avant
Русский	прогре́сс progréss

verb to make advances or incursions

中文	竄犯 /窜犯 cuànfàn
Русский	вторга́ться vtorgátʹsja, вто́ргнуться vtórgnutʹsja

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Cite this

MLA

"inroad." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/inroad. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

inroad. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/inroad

Chicago

"inroad." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/inroad.

BibTeX

@misc{inroad_2026,
  title = {inroad},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/inroad},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}