impair
verb (used with object)
to make or cause to become worse; diminish in ability, value, excellence, etc.; weaken or damage.
have impaired
-
present perfectof impair.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
One potential application involves speech prosthetics, technologies designed to help people communicate when injuries or neurological conditions have impaired their ability to speak.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
On Wednesday, OpenAI said it is spending more than $500,000 a day reviewing transcripts to uncover incidents and has notified over 100 companies where its agents’ activities may have impaired website operations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
But if you choose the wrong one to remove, the patient will still have seizures, and now may have impaired memory as well.
From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2025
This, he said, would have "impaired this engagement between minister and parishioner – an engagement built on trust".
From BBC ● May 25, 2024
Such a drop in carbon dioxide may have impaired the “greenhouse” property of the atmosphere, which holds in the solar heat otherwise lost by radiation from the earth’s surface.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
