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Glite Dictionary
to inch forward

to inch forward

4 3.4
To move forward very slowly by a short distance
  • phrasal verb
  • /ɪnʧ ˈfɔrwərd/
: avanzar poco a poco
  • -- and this is where it starts to get tricky -- he inches forward across the luggage toward where the driver is.
  • slowly inches forward
  • the line inches forward
  • began to inch forward

Or if it is, it's just inching forward maybe a little bit.

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Examples

  • The silence enfolded them like a blanket, thick and soft, and after a bit, Keiko began inching forward.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The cars in front of him inched forward toward the Iraqi infantry grouped around the concrete-filled barrels up ahead.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • With shaking hands, she put the car in drive and began to inch forward.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Or if it is, it's just inching forward maybe a little bit.

    Film Courage

  • And then you get serious about inching forward every single day.

  • Family debt levels will stay elevated; growth will very slowly inch forward, if at all.

    Blog text (21)

  • As I discussed the court with the adults, several children inched forward to listen.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Shells exploded all around as soldiers from both sides moved forward, fell back, and then inched forward again.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Nevertheless, political stabilization inched forward in the 1990s, and investment accelerated, especially in agriculture and the maquila sector.

    Academic text (2002)

  • As the storm began to calm, we decided to inch forward cautiously towards the light.

Synonyms

to edge
vsto inch forward
52 3.9

To move slowly and carefully in a particular direction

is used for slow progress toward a goal or place rather than any direction
to inch along
vsto inch forward
2 3.5

To move forward very slowly in small steps

is less extremely slow and refers to steady cautious progress
to edge in
vsto inch forward
2 5.3

To move slowly and carefully into a small space or group

is used for slow progress toward places in general rather than only entering tight spaces
to edge up
vsto inch forward
2 5.6

Move slowly and carefully forward to get closer in a crowd

is used for slow progress toward a place generally not only for entering spaces

Antonyms

leap
95 1.0

A jump through the air or a sudden strong feeling

sprint
44 2.1

A short, very fast run over a small distance

How Fast

to run
∞ 1.0
to walk
∞ 1.0
to inch forward
4 3.4
to creep
37 2.5
crawl
4 1.2

Surface Forms

inch forward infinitive
inched forward past
inched forward past participle
inching forward present participle
inches forward third person singular

Morphology

inch + forward

The meaning 'to move slowly and gradually' is directly compositional from 'inch' (advance in tiny increments) plus 'forward' (toward the front), so a learner who knows both words can infer the MWE. This verb + directional adverb pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows standard English composition, making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The verb inch forward comes from the tiny word inch and the idea of going forward by only a very small amount. Picture someone moving just an inch at a time to avoid being seen or to make slow, careful progress, and that's why it means 'to move slowly and carefully'.