noun
- a damaging or serious encroachment: inroads on our savings.
- a sudden hostile or predatory incursion; raid; foray.
noun
- an invasion or hostile attack; raid or incursion
- an encroachment or intrusion
1540s, “hostile incursion, raid, foray,” from in- (2) “in;” second element is road in the obsolete sense of “riding;” related to raid. Related: Inroads.
see make inroads into.