impingement

American  

[im-pinj-muhnt] / ɪmˈpɪndʒ mənt /

noun

1. the act or fact of encroaching or infringing.

   This is an impingement on the fundamental right of free speech.

2. the act or fact of striking or touching something, or the effect produced by this.

   The impingement on the diamond’s hard crystal surface is due to oxygen in the air.

3. Medicine/Medical. the act or fact of interfering with something, especially a nerve, through contact or pressure.

   Impingement on the nerves can be relieved by removing the portion of the bone compressing the neural structures.

---

Etymology

Origin of impingement

impinge ( def. ) + -ment ( def. )

Example Sentences

Terry has a chronic hip impingement, the Ducks revealed Thursday in their postseason injury report.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

By the time Sasaki finally went on the injured list with a shoulder impingement in early May, he had a 4.72 ERA and some of the worst underlying metrics in the majors.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 12, 2025

Sasaki went 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA in eight starts before going on the injured list with a shoulder impingement in mid-May.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2025

He has not pitched in nearly three months after going on the IL with a shoulder impingement.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 5, 2025

The instrument is so sensitive that with a delicate galvanometer it will show the impingement of the heat from a person's hand thirty feet away.

From Edison, His Life and Inventions by Dyer, Frank Lewis