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
-
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:
Despite Apple being forced to raise prices for its products, Windsor said the impact on demand will likely be “less than anyone else given the strength of the Apple brand.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
Nelson, who grew up in rural Abbott, Texas, and has a home there, called attention to the destructive environmental effects—“water thieving,” he wrote—and the impact on farmland, including small family farmers’ livelihoods.
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
They and their family will also have to demonstrate they understand the potential impact of taking part.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Another impact of the K-19 disaster was that the horrific images were still fresh in the mind of Vasili Arkhipov.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
That meant that even small declines in individual names could have big impacts on Situational’s portfolio.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
But Chevron also experienced some negative impacts from the war, pointing to reduced petroleum output from the "Partitioned Zone" between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait due to the war.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
“Our schools, our students and families experience real disruptions, including concerns about air quality, health impacts, child care and lost learning opportunities.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Decisions made in this decade can have incredible long-term impacts.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
DRACO: Face it—his celebrity impacts upon you all.
From "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling
“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
Anthropic is working with Irregular to assess the situation, it said, and the company has contacted or attempted to contact all three impacted organizations.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Tottenham are among the clubs whose pre-season preparations have been most significantly impacted.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 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
This crater is 1.2 kilometers in diameter and was probably produced 15,000 to 40,000 years ago when a lump of iron 25 meters across impacted the Earth at a speed of 15 kilometers per second.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
“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
"But we've really got to think about the fact that our water usage is directly impacting the flow in our rivers and directly impacting fish and other wildlife's survival."
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Some buyers are hesitant to shop around because they’re worried about multiple “hard” credit pulls impacting their credit ratings.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Supply and manpower constraints stemming from the pandemic, alongside competition for materials and talent from the defense sector are impacting new aircraft deliveries, the analyst says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 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.
