0 to take control or possession of something in a gradual way and often without being noticed:
Farmers responded by encroaching upon and dividing the commons.
The long harvests, moreover, encroached on the time available for between-crop repairs and maintenance.
The legal system encroached on the political system.
In ph. gregaria it is much encroached on by other colours, and the hinder border is not usually visible.
As can be seen from table 4, 13 per cent of total farm land is encroached, providing a significant addition to farmed area.
He comes to the door while "we" are vegging out the next morning on the sofa (2, line 7), thus encroaching on the students' territory.
A barium study is incomplete if the stomach is not clearly visualized, to exclude lesions encroaching on the oesophagus.
Spurred by scientific materialism, matter was encroaching on the erstwhile preserve of spirit.
