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)
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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
-
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:
The impact is muted because it instantly clarifies how needlessly trivial everything before it was.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Democrats and Republicans alike ought to brace for impact.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
“Regardless, history has repeatedly shown that the sales impact of foodborne illness tends to be fleeting for restaurants.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
The science of targeting these chemicals has impact beyond narcolepsy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
The impact creates a small shower of sparks.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
A separate extended lockup that impacts shares held by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and other select shareholders will be in place until next June.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
McCollum had only heard about the tech park from a neighbor in February 2025—and immediately grew concerned, having already seen reports about big data centers’ impacts in residential Georgia, from water use to noise pollution.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
The company said it benefited from higher sales of tires measuring 18 inches and above, positive effects from raw-material prices, a weaker currency and eased tariff impacts, as well as cost discipline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
More recently, it has also experienced impacts from the plucky little probes and landers that Earthbound space agencies have sent hurtling its way.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
When used as a verb, this word impacts me the wrong way.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
As this has been centred across mainland Europe, southern areas of England and Wales have been impacted more by the dry weather.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
"Our result was positively impacted by ongoing underlying demand for Cathay Pacific and Cathay Cargo, improved performance from HK Express, and stronger contributions from associates," the chair Guy Bradley said in its earnings report.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
The governor declared a state of emergency in the first days of the disaster, sending thousands of N95 masks and air purifiers to Boyle Heights aimed at helping residents impacted by the unhealthy conditions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
“The company’s sales performance for the period was significantly impacted by the market downturn in China,” Volvo Car said in a statement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Twice already Bernd has begged Volkheimer to try one on the impacted mess of the stairwell, to see if they can blast their way out.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
The heatwave impacting parts of the UK this week continues into Tuesday with a risk of thunderstorms in some parts.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
“The Lineage fire exposed long-standing environmental injustices impacting Boyle Heights in East L.A. and other areas,” said school board member Rocío Rivas, who represents the area.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
“AI is pervading and impacting every sector,” said Chintalapalli.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
In May, Meta settled for an undisclosed amount with a school district that had sued it for negatively impacting students, so much so that schools incurred costs related to student welfare.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
But if the impacting object is larger or made primarily of rock, there is an explosion on impact that carves out a hemispherical bowl called an impact crater.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
