impact
Americannoun
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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)
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impacts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
impacted,
past participle, past
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impacting
present participle
-
to drive or press closely or firmly into something; pack in.
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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)
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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.
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to have an impact or effect.
Increased demand will impact on sales.
noun
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the act of one body, object, etc, striking another; collision
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the force with which one thing hits another or with which two objects collide
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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
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impactsimple
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impactssimple
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have impactedperfect
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has impactedperfect
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am impactingprogressive
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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:
Some of those living in a new-build housing estate nearby are concerned about the project, including James George, 32, who said he was worried about the impact on the environment and his home.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The statement added: “As the City’s accountant, auditor, and paymaster, the Controller has a responsibility to protect City of L.A. taxpayers from the impact of the LA28 Olympic Games.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
In 2020, Liu and his team made billions of dollars in gains for Vitol betting that the impact of the pandemic on the oil market would be short-lived, people familiar with the matter said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Lario also flagged the impact of climate change on small-scale farmers, who received less than one percent of allocated global climate finance.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Of course, the men knew this would have no impact on the war.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
They were first named to help bring public attention to episodes of severe weather, to help people prepare to avoid the worst impacts by planning ahead.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Some of the biggest impacts of the dry weather have been across the southern England where exceptionally low reservoir levels have prompted the Environment Agency to declare "severe drought" in some areas.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
We’re continuing to report on heat impacts and would love to hear from readers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
"These kind of impacts are not normal. They're unprecedented for our community," said Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson during a weekend press conference.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
As you can see, the Taurus has been pushed up onto the sidewalk by the force of the multiple impacts.
From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements
And the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton was impacted by the Henderson Fire, which prompted freeway closures and had burned at least 2,070 acres by Friday, according to Cal Fire.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
Yet higher rates have impacted housing, with existing home sales at the lowest levels in more than 25 years, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
Organisations that have been impacted also included several US government agencies including the White House, it said.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Redistricting had impacted the home Greene-Placentia shared with her husband, so she found another place to stay within Arizona’s 8th Congressional District.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026
The various techniques let researchers understand which brain regions control what functions, and how tissues and tasks get impacted by different activities, say, when a person tries to multitask.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
They were also inspired to explore a new legal angle: “It felt like other shows weren’t really looking at the way tech was impacting the law,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Character.ai has been among AI companies that have faced more scrutiny over how chatbots are impacting young people’s mental health.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
In Japan, meanwhile, around 20 companies have said their data may have been compromised in a spate of similar cyberattacks potentially impacting millions of customers.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
It prompted a swift condemnation from South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who called it "greatly disappointing" and said the transfer was a "highly sensitive issue" impacting national security.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The erosion in interstellar space—chiefly cosmic rays and impacting dust grains—is so slow that the information on the record will last a billion years.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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