impinge
Americanverb (used without object)
-
impinges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
impinged,
past participle, past
-
impinging
present participle
-
to make an impression; have an effect or impact (usually followed by on orupon ).
to impinge upon the imagination; social pressures that impinge upon one's daily life.
-
to encroach; infringe (usually followed by on orupon ).
to impinge on another's rights.
-
to strike; dash; collide (usually followed by on, upon, oragainst ).
rays of light impinging on the eye.
verb (used with object)
-
impinges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
impinged,
past participle, past
-
impinging
present participle
verb
-
(intr; usually foll by on or upon) to encroach or infringe; trespass
to impinge on someone's time
-
(intr; usually foll by on, against, or upon) to collide (with); strike
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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impingesimple
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impingessimple
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have impingedperfect
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has impingedperfect
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am impingingprogressive
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are impingingprogressive
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is impingingprogressive
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have been impingingperfect progressive
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has been impingingperfect progressive
Past
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impingedsimple
-
had impingedperfect
-
was impingingprogressive
-
were impingingprogressive
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had been impingingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of impinge
First recorded in 1525–35; from Medieval Latin impingere “to strike against, drive at,” equivalent to Latin im- prefix meaning “in” ( see im- 1) + -pingere, combining form of pangere “to fasten, drive in, fix”; see impact
Explanation
Whether you have a habit of standing too close when talking to others or bringing luggage on a crowded rush-hour subway car, you'll find people don't like it when you impinge on their personal space. When you impinge, you intrude on something, whether it’s someone else’s space, time, or rights. Think of it as moving in on someone’s territory. The word also can be used in the sense of affecting something, usually negatively, often by restricting it. For example, constantly inviting your friend to go shopping and meet you in nice restaurants might impinge on her desire to save money.
Vocabulary lists containing impinge
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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A Separate Peace
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This Week in Pop Culture: December 29, 2018 - January 4, 2019
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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 1951 treaty allowed the U.S. military almost unlimited permission to operate there, as long as it didn’t impinge on Danish sovereignty or freedom of movement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Nor does it impinge on the States’ authority ‘to create and enforce a legal code’ for elections.’”
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
It states that it does not impinge on constitutionally protected rights to express political, academic or ideological disagreements.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
If these two AI giants cannot access public markets for equity this could significantly impinge on their future growth prospects – and that of the whole AI boom, says Cox.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
The periods of the traditions of course impinge upon each other and softly blend, so that the game some way or other seems to go back continuously from now to the beginning.
From The Happy Golfer Being Some Experiences, Reflections, and a Few Deductions of a Wandering Golfer by Henry Leach
Players will also flow into some clubs in a similar fashion, I'm sure, and I'm afraid all of this impinges on managers and coaches from this country, who are not part of that network.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026
"India takes such inputs seriously since it impinges on our own national security interests as well," he said.
From Reuters ● Nov. 22, 2023
He also argues the new consultation requirement impinges on academic freedom.
From Science Magazine ● Oct. 18, 2023
“Attacking the way we eat impinges on our privacy and that is very serious,” Gutmann said as she busied herself in the kitchen of their Paris home.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 15, 2022
The book possesses pathos, humour, freshness; a mixture beyond failing; and moreover, impinges on life, married life, at moments with a frankness more essentially French than English.
From Helena Brett's Career by Desmond Coke
Brusuelas says the economy likely won’t be impinged so long as oil stays below $125 a barrel.
From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026
But when the application to register the L V Bespoke trademark was made public, Louis Vuitton Malletier objected in March 2022 via lawyers in London claiming the trademark impinged on its intellectual property.
From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2024
Baez was determined that the documentary represent “an honest legacy,” both the heights of her 1960s-era activism, as well as the “wrinkles” that impinged upon her personal journey.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2023
"This is a signal of more general pressure from aggregate demand on today's impinged supply," Evans said.
From Reuters ● Mar. 24, 2022
A feeling that I was forgetting something impinged on my too- rare happiness.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
“Magnificent Seven” stocks are impinging on investors’ returns, according to Citigroup — and it’s triggered the fourth-worst day for momentum stocks in 22 years.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
“She was dehydrated, she hadn’t had her medication and she was sitting in her own wee,” she adds, uncomfortable at impinging on her mother’s dignity.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2024
"I don't think that's impinging on anybody's First Amendment rights to protect my staff."
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2023
In the past, critics have viewed “debt-for-nature swaps” as impinging on the national sovereignty of indebted countries by placing financial and environmental decision-making power in the hands of foreign entities.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 15, 2023
Natural uranium’s fission cross section—that is, the probability that the nucleus would fission under given circumstances—was highly sensitive to the energy of the impinging neutrons.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
