impinge
Americanverb (used without object)
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to make an impression; have an effect or impact (usually followed by on orupon ).
to impinge upon the imagination; social pressures that impinge upon one's daily life.
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to encroach; infringe (usually followed by on orupon ).
to impinge on another's rights.
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to strike; dash; collide (usually followed by on, upon, oragainst ).
rays of light impinging on the eye.
verb (used with object)
verb
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(intr; usually foll by on or upon) to encroach or infringe; trespass
to impinge on someone's time
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(intr; usually foll by on, against, or upon) to collide (with); strike
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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impingesimple
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impingessimple
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have impingedperfect
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has impingedperfect
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am impingingprogressive
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are impingingprogressive
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is impingingprogressive
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have been impingingperfect progressive
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has been impingingperfect progressive
Past
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impingedsimple
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had impingedperfect
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was impingingprogressive
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were impingingprogressive
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had been impingingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of impinge
First recorded in 1525–35; from Medieval Latin impingere “to strike against, drive at,” equivalent to Latin im- prefix meaning “in” ( see im- 1) + -pingere, combining form of pangere “to fasten, drive in, fix”; see impact
Explanation
Whether you have a habit of standing too close when talking to others or bringing luggage on a crowded rush-hour subway car, you'll find people don't like it when you impinge on their personal space. When you impinge, you intrude on something, whether it’s someone else’s space, time, or rights. Think of it as moving in on someone’s territory. The word also can be used in the sense of affecting something, usually negatively, often by restricting it. For example, constantly inviting your friend to go shopping and meet you in nice restaurants might impinge on her desire to save money.
Vocabulary lists containing impinge
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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A Separate Peace
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This Week in Pop Culture: December 29, 2018 - January 4, 2019
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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:
Analogous to the U.S. situation, some leading voices in Chinese tech are telling the government that tighter measures would slow down AI development in China and ultimately impinge on its growth potential.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
As Ms. Carr shows, the parental perspective of what is happening may not impinge upon what siblings think is happening.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
However, reality can’t help but impinge on daily life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2025
In other words, actions like mining development, agriculture and so on, unleash a whole lot of chemicals which impinge on us every day.
From Salon ● Nov. 30, 2024
And while some of his fundamental beliefs impinge against current prejudices and awaken enmities, he fearlessly submits them to the judgment and common sense of mankind.
From The Arena Volume 18, No. 93, August, 1897 by Various
Players will also flow into some clubs in a similar fashion, I'm sure, and I'm afraid all of this impinges on managers and coaches from this country, who are not part of that network.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026
"India takes such inputs seriously since it impinges on our own national security interests as well," he said.
From Reuters ● Nov. 22, 2023
He also argues the new consultation requirement impinges on academic freedom.
From Science Magazine ● Oct. 18, 2023
“Attacking the way we eat impinges on our privacy and that is very serious,” Gutmann said as she busied herself in the kitchen of their Paris home.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 15, 2022
In Verhaeren's poetry the lyric exceeds the bounds of its domain and impinges on the dramatic and the epic.
From ?mile Verhaeren by Zweig, Stefan
Brusuelas says the economy likely won’t be impinged so long as oil stays below $125 a barrel.
From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026
At the circuit court on Monday, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign said that Baosberg’s order, which affects only the expulsions under the Alien Enemies Act, impinged on executive authority.
From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2025
Judges in those cases said the new statutes most likely impinged on social media companies’ free speech rights to distribute information as well as young people’s rights to have access to it.
From New York Times ● Feb. 23, 2024
The secrecy deprived the public of the opportunity to scrutinise the government's actions in Dili and impinged upon the procedural fairness afforded to Mr Collaery, advocates say.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2022
It showed that a person’s decision making is impinged by something as simple as a modest memory task.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
“Magnificent Seven” stocks are impinging on investors’ returns, according to Citigroup — and it’s triggered the fourth-worst day for momentum stocks in 22 years.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
However, to allow the declaration element of Massa's case to proceed "comes too close in my view to impinging on the right of the FIA to govern its own affairs", the judge said.
From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2025
Those things are impinging on what cells do and the genes they will use.
From Scientific American ● Nov. 9, 2023
"I don't think that's impinging on anybody's First Amendment rights to protect my staff."
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2023
After about a year, though, he concluded that the amount of time he was spending practicing the accordion was impinging on his chess studies.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
