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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
Sarwant Singh, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Apple, Meta, and Google are all trying to make inroads in the field, but issues related to costs and engineering have led to slow progress.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 22 Jan. 2025
The Taliban have been trying to make inroads in being recognized, in part to escape the economic tailspin caused by their takeover.
—Zeke Miller, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
View Online Technology The Big Story Tech titans flock to Trump’s inauguration
Some of the country’s most prominent tech leaders were in the spotlight at President Trump’s second inauguration, underscoring a months-long push to find inroads with Trump.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 20 Jan. 2025
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Dictionary Entries Near inroad
Cite this Entry
“Inroad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inroad. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
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