impact
Americannoun
-
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)
-
impacted,
past participle, past
-
impacting
present participle
-
to drive or press closely or firmly into something; pack in.
-
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)
-
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.
-
to have an impact or effect.
Increased demand will impact on sales.
noun
-
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, 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
-
have impactedperfect
-
has impactedperfect
-
am impactingprogressive
-
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 cost represents about 2%-3% of their expected 2026 earnings estimate and could have limited impact on forecasts, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Two videos circulating on social media appear to show the moment a cargo ship crashes into a fishing vessel, with dramatic footage capturing the impact.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
As in Vietnam, larger questions about the impact of war on military readiness accompanied veterans’ soul-searching.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
The Peterson Foundation’s survey also found 70% of voters think candidates aren’t talking enough about the debt and its impact on the cost of living.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 20, 2026
I just feel a sudden impact and I’m falling.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Scientists estimate that impacts of this size create about 140 new craters across the Moon each year.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
Around 94% of North-America-headquartered companies reported higher costs from physical climate impacts last year, according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
A global backlash against social media has piled pressure on policymakers, with a rising body of evidence showing negative impacts on children's physical and mental health.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
CVL was pessimistic about the local economic impacts of the merger, which it said would place 4,495 direct film and television job-years at risk between 2027 and 2030.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Our soundscapes have tremendous physical and cognitive impacts on us.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
“If AI slows down, at some point that could reduce the demand for AI compute and the most impacted would be neoclouds, especially ones with leverage,” Luria said, referring to AI computing power.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
“The August 5 outage temporarily impacted the National Information Center’s public website,” a Fed spokesperson said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Two days after the 25th anniversary of 9/11, the Giants honoured New York's first responders and those impacted by the attacks with a series of tributes before Sunday's primetime game.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
It’s hard to fault Stafford for not making a play that his body just can’t make, but it’s fair to wonder if the travel and short turnaround impacted his worst big game in several years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
“The fire also impacted wildlife. During a wildfire, deer can be chased out into traffic, mothers will flee their nests, leaving behind their babies.”
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
Kris Marszalek, chief executive of Crypto.com, said single-stock perpetual futures are already impacting U.S. markets but trade overseas on unregulated venues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
British Airways said it was forced to cancel or divert more than 100 flights, impacting tens of thousands of its customers.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
This restriction is impacting her upcoming Wyoming and Montana shows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Dwindling global refinery capacity is threatening to turn what started as a Middle East oil-supply crisis into a more complex global oil headache impacting gasoline, diesel and other fuels.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
There is another insidious way in which the power of our devices to capture attention could be impacting daily life.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
