impact

American  

[im-pakt, im-pakt] / ˈɪm pækt, ɪmˈpækt /

noun

• impacts
  plural

1. the striking of one thing against another; forceful contact; collision.

   The impact of the colliding cars broke the windshield.

2. an impinging.

   the impact of light on the eye.

3. influence; effect.

   the impact of Einstein on modern physics.

4. an impacting; forcible impinging.

   the tremendous impact of the shot.

5. the force exerted by a new idea, concept, technology, or ideology.

   the impact of the industrial revolution.

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verb (used with object)

• impacts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• impacted,
  past participle,  past
• impacting
  present participle

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

2. to fill up; congest; throng.

   A vast crowd impacted St. Peter's Square.

3. to collide with; strike forcefully.

   a rocket designed to impact the planet Mars.

4. 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

1. to have impact or make contact forcefully.

   The ball impacted against the bat with a loud noise.

2. to have an impact or effect.

   Increased demand will impact on sales.

impact British  

noun

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

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

3. the impression made by an idea, cultural movement, social group, etc

   the impact of the Renaissance on Medieval Europe

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verb

1. to drive or press (an object) firmly into (another object, thing, etc) or (of two objects) to be driven or pressed firmly together

2. 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

• impaction
  noun
• nonimpact
  noun
• postimpact
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• impacts
  plural

Participles

• impacting
  present
• impacted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• impact
  simple
• impacts
  simple
• have impacted
  perfect
• has impacted
  perfect
• am impacting
  progressive
• are impacting
  progressive
• is impacting
  progressive
• have been impacting
  perfect progressive
• has been impacting
  perfect progressive

Past

• impacted
  simple
• had impacted
  perfect
• was impacting
  progressive
• were impacting
  progressive
• had been impacting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will impact
  simple
• will have impacted
  perfect
• will be impacting
  progressive
• will have been impacting
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of impact

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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

impact impacts impacted impacting

But that’s hard to see when the internet has built such a wide chasm between people, reducing the impact of writing in favor of scrolling.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

However, the colder winter months will likely intensify the impact of higher energy prices on household budgets, and may prompt workers to demand significantly larger raises.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

With fewer movies being made, the impact of AI and an overall lack of jobs, the Huntington Beach native said she was nervous about pursuing a career in the film business.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

Hubble said a BFA assessment of firework sales shows a 50% noise reduction to 110 decibels, which is what the government are considering, would impact up to 60% of firework sales to the general public.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

So great was the impact of that game that club members began planning a party for the returning hero, even if he hadn’t actually qualified as a Candidate yet.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

This impacts businesses in two ways - less money to spend among their customers may mean they sell less, but also the cost of borrowing to invest as a company goes up.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

Steve Miller of ISM said tariffs and fuel-cost impacts continued to be the most-cited issues affecting supply chains.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

"Every delay in adaptation funding turns climate impacts into catastrophic losses and damages," Monaheng said.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

“A lot of money was being spent on addressing the impacts of homelessness ... without addressing why people were on the streets in the first place,” Raman said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

Even as archaeologists try to work out how the area’s first inhabitants reshaped their physical environment, other scientists are beginning to trace out their impacts in its genetic heritage.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

“We’ve had a lot of unprecedented years, a lot of years with strange things that have impacted the industry and made things particularly challenging,” Banks added.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

French authorities say that fridges used in medical facilities to store blood for donations were impacted by recent cyber-attacks by unknown hackers.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

The company’s third-quarter profit fell to $13.2 million, impacted by a Cyclospora outbreak and higher labor and capital investment costs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

“The Department remains committed to a thorough investigation and to working toward accountability and justice for the victims, businesses, and others impacted by the Newhall Fire,” the department said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

“I think you’re right to keep the list of impacted parties pretty broad. Given the number of people, we’ll organize a conference, which will allow for the bigger group.”

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

For many Gen Z voters like Blankley, affordability issues impacting both daily quality of life and long-term goals have risen to the top of their list of concerns heading into midterm elections.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

Apple said it is aware of "an issue impacting the inner display on a small number" of units and urged affected users to contact the company for a replacement.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

An Apple spokesman said the company was aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units and encouraged impacted customers to contact AppleCare for a replacement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

“She’s had a firsthand account into some of the way that the immigration raids are directly impacting our students,” Pérez said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 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

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Related Words

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• influence
• meaning
• repercussion
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