impinge
Americanverb (used without object)
-
impinges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
impinged,
past participle, past
-
impinging
present participle
-
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.
-
to encroach; infringe (usually followed by on orupon ).
to impinge on another's rights.
-
to strike; dash; collide (usually followed by on, upon, oragainst ).
rays of light impinging on the eye.
verb (used with object)
-
impinges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
impinged,
past participle, past
-
impinging
present participle
verb
-
(intr; usually foll by on or upon) to encroach or infringe; trespass
to impinge on someone's time
-
(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
-
impingessimple
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have impingedperfect
-
has impingedperfect
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am impingingprogressive
-
are impingingprogressive
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is impingingprogressive
-
have been impingingperfect progressive
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has been impingingperfect progressive
Past
-
impingedsimple
-
had impingedperfect
-
was impingingprogressive
-
were impingingprogressive
-
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
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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:
It states that it does not impinge on constitutionally protected rights to express political, academic or ideological disagreements.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
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
He cited a 2019 Supreme Court judgment to say the opposition's demand for machine-readable voter lists could impinge on people's privacy.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2025
I have no force left now; the sights and sounds impinge Upon me unresisted, like raindrops on the mould.
From Poems - First Series by J. C. (John Collings) Squire
They have claimed this ban actually risks making children less safe, argued it impinges on their rights, and repeatedly pointed to the questions around the tech that will be used to enforce the policy.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2025
In subsequent books, the outside world impinges on Roz’s idyll.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2025
"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
This impinges too closely upon history and geography to fail to increase the student’s attraction towards these more remote but allied fields.
From Pottery, for Artists Craftsmen & Teachers by George J. Cox
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
But when the application to register the L V Bespoke trademark was made public, Louis Vuitton Malletier objected in March 2022 via lawyers in London claiming the trademark impinged on its intellectual property.
From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2024
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
“She was dehydrated, she hadn’t had her medication and she was sitting in her own wee,” she adds, uncomfortable at impinging on her mother’s dignity.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2024
"I don't think that's impinging on anybody's First Amendment rights to protect my staff."
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2023
In the past, critics have viewed “debt-for-nature swaps” as impinging on the national sovereignty of indebted countries by placing financial and environmental decision-making power in the hands of foreign entities.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 15, 2023
According to atomists such as Gassendi, light was caused by a stream of tiny particles emerging from bright objects, like the Sun, and impinging on the eyes of the viewer.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
