encroach

encroach — 動詞

1. to gradually take away part of someone's rights, time, or private life in a way

1.動詞不及物C1
釋義

侵犯

逐漸侵占他人權利、時間或私人空間

to gradually take away part of someone's rights, time, or private life in a way that feels unfair or unwanted.

例句

The new surveillance system encroaches on citizens' privacy, tracking their every move.

新的監控系統侵犯了公民的隱私，追蹤他們的一舉一動。

encroach on + privacy / rights / freedom

Yael felt that her demanding boss was encroaching on her weekends by calling her constantly.

Yael 覺得她要求嚴格的老闆不斷打電話給她，侵犯了她的週末時間。

同義詞
  • infringe

    closer to legal violation; often used in formal/legal contexts

  • intrude

    less gradual, focuses on unwanted presence rather than taking away

  • trespass

    stronger, implies illegal or immoral boundary-crossing

  • impinge

    very formal, similar construction with 'on'; suggests a negative effect

反義詞
  • respect

    as in respecting someone's boundaries, rights, or privacy

文法句型

encroach on/upon + noun phrase

用法筆記

Frequently used with the preposition 'on' or 'upon'; the object is typically an abstract noun such as 'rights', 'privacy', 'freedom', or 'time'.

常見錯誤

❌The government encroached the citizens' right to protest.
✅The government encroached ON the citizens' right to protest.
💡'encroach' always needs the preposition 'on' or 'upon' before its object.

2. to gradually spread over a larger physical area, moving beyond the original boun

2.動詞不及物C1
釋義

侵佔

逐漸覆蓋更大區域，越過原有邊界

to gradually spread over a larger physical area, moving beyond the original boundary or limit.

例句

The desert has been slowly encroaching on the farmland along the river valley.

沙漠逐漸侵佔了河谷旁的農田。

encroach on + physical area (land, territory, forest)

Over twenty years, the highway gradually encroached on the village's farmland, pushing houses further back.

二十年來，這條高速公路逐漸侵佔了村莊的農田，迫使房屋往後退縮。

同義詞
  • invade

    more aggressive and usually faster; implies force

  • overrun

    suggests overwhelming numbers and taking full control

  • spread into

    more neutral in tone, less negative connotation

反義詞
  • retreat

    to move back from an area

  • recede

    to move gradually back from a boundary

文法句型

encroach on/upon + noun phrase (physical area)

用法筆記

Frequently used with the preposition 'on' or 'upon'; the object is a physical area such as 'land', 'territory', 'forest', 'farmland', or 'garden'.

常見錯誤

❌The weeds encroached the garden through the fence.
✅The weeds encroached ON the garden through the fence.
💡Same rule as sense 1: 'encroach' requires 'on' or 'upon' before the area being entered.