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Inroad is a combination of in and road, both of which are pretty mundane, as far as words go. But the first-and-oldest-meaning of inroad hints at a meaning of road other than the "way for traveling" one. Beginning back in the days of Old English, road referred to an armed hostile incursion made on horseback. (Raid comes from this use of road and also formerly specified incursions on horseback.) Road, as well as inroad, has lost its violent connotation. While inroads are often made at the expense of someone or something, they are at times simply advances, as when an artist is said to be "making inroads into a community."
Examples of inroad in a Sentence
Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 26 Apr. 2024
The militia had stood aside during the offensive, allowing the resistance to make inroads.
—Reuters, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024
Watford Forever offers some inroads into the singer's personal life as well, especially his relationship with Taylor.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024
But as the tallies were counted, official results reflected a photo finish — in part because of the extraordinary inroads made by the far right.
—Catarina Fernandes Martins, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024
Six Republican governors are condemning efforts by the United Auto Workers to organize car factories in their states, a flash point as the labor group tries to build on its success last year winning concessions from the Big Three automakers by making inroads in the historically union-averse South.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2024
That comes as emerging rivals have made inroads in key markets.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2024
Now, Republicans have started to make inroads into Democratic support among Latino voters, and some Black voters.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
What’s more, Starbucks has agreed to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with the union – which has continued to make inroads at the company’s coffee shops.
—Michael Z. Green, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inroad.' 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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Cite this Entry
“Inroad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inroad. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
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