impact
Americannoun
-
impacts
plural
-
the striking of one thing against another; forceful contact; collision.
The impact of the colliding cars broke the windshield.
-
an impinging.
the impact of light on the eye.
-
influence; effect.
the impact of Einstein on modern physics.
-
an impacting; forcible impinging.
the tremendous impact of the shot.
-
the force exerted by a new idea, concept, technology, or ideology.
the impact of the industrial revolution.
verb (used with object)
-
impacts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
impacted,
past participle, past
-
impacting
present participle
-
to drive or press closely or firmly into something; pack in.
-
to fill up; congest; throng.
A vast crowd impacted St. Peter's Square.
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to collide with; strike forcefully.
a rocket designed to impact the planet Mars.
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to have an impact or effect on; influence; alter.
The decision may impact your whole career. The auto industry will be impacted by the new labor agreements.
verb (used without object)
-
impacts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
impacted,
past participle, past
-
impacting
present participle
-
to have impact or make contact forcefully.
The ball impacted against the bat with a loud noise.
-
to have an impact or effect.
Increased demand will impact on sales.
noun
-
the act of one body, object, etc, striking another; collision
-
the force with which one thing hits another or with which two objects collide
-
the impression made by an idea, cultural movement, social group, etc
the impact of the Renaissance on Medieval Europe
verb
-
to drive or press (an object) firmly into (another object, thing, etc) or (of two objects) to be driven or pressed firmly together
-
to have an impact or strong effect (on)
Usage
The verb impact has developed the transitive sense “to have an impact or effect on” ( The structured reading program has done more to impact the elementary schools than any other single factor ) and the intransitive sense “to have an impact or effect” ( The work done at the computer center will impact on the economy of Illinois and the nation ). Although recent, the new uses are entirely standard and most likely to occur in formal speech and writing. See also impactful.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
impactsimple
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impactssimple
-
have impactedperfect
-
has impactedperfect
-
am impactingprogressive
-
are impactingprogressive
-
is impactingprogressive
-
have been impactingperfect progressive
-
has been impactingperfect progressive
Past
-
impactedsimple
-
had impactedperfect
-
was impactingprogressive
-
were impactingprogressive
-
had been impactingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of impact
First recorded in 1775–85; (noun and v.) back formation from impacted
Explanation
The noun impact can refer to a physical force (like a collision), an influence (a bad role model or a hero), or a strong effect (a foot of snow will have an impact on driving conditions). Impact is used most often as a noun. A good teacher might have an impact (influence) on a struggling student. The moment two comets collide is called the "moment of impact." But this versatile word can also be used as a verb, though many people prefer to use its synonyms instead: "affect," "bear upon," or "touch on." Impacted teeth are wedged together or stuck behind each other.
Vocabulary lists containing impact
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 51-60
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Name On: Pro Sports Team Names, Part 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
What has been the impact of new owners on The Hundred?
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
I spoke with researchers to understand the impact of these chipper chatbots—and tested a few ways to dial back AI’s tone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
It also showed exercise has a similar impact as anti-inflammatory drugs, but without the same side effects.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
Construction is expected to begin this year, trying to minimize impact on normal campus activities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
The protestors had no idea what a major impact they’d had.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
“Should the parent/affiliate company experience financial stress, negative impacts to the insurer are heightened due to the higher exposure,” it said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
The heatwaves pummelling Europe this summer will have costly impacts on industries ranging from agriculture to tourism -- but that hasn't stopped stock markets from hitting all-time highs.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
In effect until 21:00 BST on 14 August, these warn of significant impacts across health and social care services, including a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
But it’s not the absolute level of SAD that impacts the stock market, but changes from one month’s level to the next.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
He and others point out that digital communications are not alone throughout history in raising questions about how technological change impacts life and interaction.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
The seismic event heavily impacted the country’s third-largest city, Cali, which lies near the Pacific Coast.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
"They don't listen or involve the community or the people who are going to be directly impacted," he said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
The latest figures put the death toll from floods at 100, with 10 districts and 456 villages affected and about 140,000 people impacted.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
"A very sad morning for Portadown. My thoughts and prayers remain with the family and all those impacted," Lockhart added.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
“I think you’re right to keep the list of impacted parties pretty broad. Given the number of people, we’ll organize a conference, which will allow for the bigger group.”
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
Germany's new transport minister, Steffen Bilger, convened a recent crisis summit with shipping, port and logistics operators on the problem impacting the European Union's biggest economy.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Uber announced 41 layoffs across three San Francisco offices, impacting remote employees as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
“AI is pervading and impacting every sector,” said Chintalapalli.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
"But we've really got to think about the fact that our water usage is directly impacting the flow in our rivers and directly impacting fish and other wildlife's survival."
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Once Abel’s debts and his terrible business decisions started impacting my mother’s credit and her ability to support her sons, she wanted out.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
