impact

[ noun im-pakt; verb im-pakt ]

/ noun ˈɪm pækt; verb ɪmˈpækt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR impact ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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)

to drive or press closely or firmly into something; pack in.

to fill up; congest; throng: A vast crowd impacted St. Peter's Square.

to collide with; strike forcefully: a rocket designed to impact the planet Mars.

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)

to have impact or make contact forcefully: The ball impacted against the bat with a loud noise.

to have an impact or effect: Increased demand will impact on sales.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?

Question 1 of 10

earnest

full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.

a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.

urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of impact

First recorded in 1775–85; (noun and v.) back formation from impacted

usage note for impact

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 WORDS FROM impact

non·im·pact, noun, adjectivepost·im·pact, adjective

Words nearby impact

imo, imogene, imp, imp., imp. gal., impact, impact adhesive, impact crater, impact extrusion, impact parameter, impact printer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for impact

The EPA felt that the State Department had not looked carefully enough at the impact of the pipeline if oil prices fell.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Jan. 4|PunditFact.com|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Residents of the neighborhoods where cops are needed the most are mixed on the impact of the apparent slowdown.
Ground Zero of the NYPD Slowdown|Batya Ungar-Sargon|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Strong currents and winds, however, mean any debris could be drifting up to 31 miles a day eastward, away from the impact zone.
Wreckage, Bodies of AirAsia Crash Found|Lennox Samuels|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the hope is that if you can change their individual lives, it will have an impact on their families.
Dr. Howard Fuller's Injustice Education|Campbell Brown|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The change is also likely to impact the potential paydays of Cuban players coming to the United States.
Is Major League Baseball Ready For Cuba’s Players?|Ben Jacobs|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Solness is smashed by his impact with Hilda, as china is against a stone.
Henrik Ibsen|Edmund Gosse
They went against the side of the house shaking it with the force of their impact.
A Man for the Ages|Irving Bacheller
He had noted his boat tremble at the impact and crowd away from the stranger; had felt the straining of her timbers.
El Diablo|Brayton Norton
The human nervous system can only endure a certain amount of impact.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, May, 1930|Various
From here they felt the impact of the chattering water rising to them and falling again like a comment on their talk.
The Cathedral|Sir Hugh Walpole

British Dictionary definitions for impact

impact

noun (ˈɪmpækt)

the act of one body, object, etc, striking another; collision

the force with which one thing hits another or with which two objects collide

the impression made by an idea, cultural movement, social group, etcthe impact of the Renaissance on Medieval Europe

verb (ɪmˈpækt)

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)

Derived forms of impact

impaction, noun

Word Origin for impact

C18: from Latin impactus pushed against, fastened on, from impingere to thrust at, from pangere to drive in

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

impact