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
-
have been impingingperfect progressive
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has been impingingperfect progressive
Past
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impingedsimple
-
had impingedperfect
-
was impingingprogressive
-
were impingingprogressive
-
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:
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
As Ms. Carr shows, the parental perspective of what is happening may not impinge upon what siblings think is happening.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
"So many clubs are in MCOs that to introduce a set of rules would impinge upon them," Maguire added.
From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2026
"In the columns of The New Age the few literary wits we possess delight to impinge one another on the horns of ridicule."
From The Last Generation A Story of the Future by James Elroy Flecker
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
In subsequent books, the outside world impinges on Roz’s idyll.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2025
Lawyers for Carter said in briefs that the type of training ordered “is a commonplace civil contempt sanction” and denied that it impinges on the airline’s free speech rights.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 2, 2024
"India takes such inputs seriously since it impinges on our own national security interests as well," he said.
From Reuters ● Nov. 22, 2023
This projection serves a double purpose: it gives a point of attachment for the quartz needle, and on firing the bow it forms a resisting anvil on which the string of the bow impinges.
From On Laboratory Arts by Richard Threlfall
Brusuelas says the economy likely won’t be impinged so long as oil stays below $125 a barrel.
From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026
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
The disappearance of China's defence minister heightened uncertainty about President Xi Jinping's stance towards international engagement, worker strikes impinged on global production and the spectre of a U.S. government shutdown returned.
From Reuters ● Sep. 18, 2023
The secrecy deprived the public of the opportunity to scrutinise the government's actions in Dili and impinged upon the procedural fairness afforded to Mr Collaery, advocates say.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2022
It showed that a person’s decision making is impinged by something as simple as a modest memory task.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
“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
Those things are impinging on what cells do and the genes they will use.
From Scientific American ● Nov. 9, 2023
"I don't think that's impinging on anybody's First Amendment rights to protect my staff."
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2023
After about a year, though, he concluded that the amount of time he was spending practicing the accordion was impinging on his chess studies.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
