en ‧ croach /ɪnˈkrəʊtʃ $ -ˈkroʊtʃ/ BrE AmE verb [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: encrochier 'to seize' , from croche 'hook' ]
1 . to gradually take more of someone’s time, possessions, rights etc than you should
encroach on/upon
Bureaucratic power has encroached upon the freedom of the individual.
2 . to gradually cover more and more land
encroach into
The fighting encroached further east.
—encroachment noun [uncountable and countable] :
foreign encroachment