impact
Americannoun
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the striking of one thing against another; forceful contact; collision.
The impact of the colliding cars broke the windshield.
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an impinging.
the impact of light on the eye.
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influence; effect.
the impact of Einstein on modern physics.
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an impacting; forcible impinging.
the tremendous impact of the shot.
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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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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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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
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to drive or press (an object) firmly into (another object, thing, etc) or (of two objects) to be driven or pressed firmly together
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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
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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
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is impactingprogressive
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have been impactingperfect progressive
-
has been impactingperfect progressive
Past
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impactedsimple
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had impactedperfect
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was impactingprogressive
-
were impactingprogressive
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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:
“If you look beyond September, we see the market pricing for memory continuing to increase, which could drive an increasing impact on our business,” Cook said on the call with analysts.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
The central bank may be waiting to see stronger signs of second-order impact of higher oil prices to consider rate hikes amid heightened uncertainty, Nim said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
“But I don’t think it’s necessarily going to impact the chain’s sales long term.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
She added incident had "brought existing concerns about blasting, groundwater, drainage, land stability and the wider impact of quarrying activity sharply back into focus".
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
I feel the impact as an arrow hits our mattress.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
He also said regulators, including the state, have “been inadequate with respect to evaluating immune system harm or the cumulative impacts of these very small PFAS.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Decisions made in this decade can have incredible long-term impacts.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
It impacts our cost structure, but it also impacts the consumer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
DNA analysis, however, later detected minimal ecological impacts.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Maybe, thought Holly hopefully, this will be one of those impacts where you don’t feel any pain until later.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
“We have a huge responsibility to stabilize the households, businesses, and the communities within the impacted area, accelerate remediation and restore infrastructure.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Its gas output was impacted after the world's largest liquefied natural gas hub, Ras Laffan in northern Qatar, suffered significant damage in the war.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Chief Executive Kevin Lobo said that company has made “significant progress in our recovery” from the March cyberattack, which disrupted Stryker’s Microsoft systems and impacted its first-quarter results.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
As a result, the ability of some charities to manage essential operations like payroll has been impacted, such as Maidstone-based 21 Together, which helps people with Down's syndrome.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
An impacted welter of metal and brickwork and timber so thick that it’s hard to believe twenty men could get through.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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
“Overall, we expect investors will worry about the component cost impact on margins along with the mix impact i.e. lower U.S. revenue impacting margins into 2H.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
This should be an ongoing conversation about all factors impacting your investment goals.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
“The NBA league office informed us that as a result of the ongoing investigation involving the Clippers, we would assume the risk of any potential outcome of the investigation impacting Kawhi,” the Raptors said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
For the first time in my life, really, I felt I was doing something immediately meaningful, directly impacting the lives of others while also staying connected to both my city and my culture.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
