encroachverb [ I ]
us/ɪnˈkroʊtʃ/to take control or possession of something in a gradual way and often without being noticed:
Farmers encroached on forest land to grow crops.
These devices are encroaching on people’s privacy.
encroachment
noun [ C/U ] us/ɪnˈkroʊtʃ·mənt/
[ C ] Human encroachment threatens the birds’ nesting sites.