impinge
Americanverb (used without object)
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impinges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
impinged,
past participle, past
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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.
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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
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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:
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
Analogous to the U.S. situation, some leading voices in Chinese tech are telling the government that tighter measures would slow down AI development in China and ultimately impinge on its growth potential.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 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
The octagon is carried up to the base of the dome, which is built in sixteen longitudinal compartments that impinge upon one another and form groins giving to the dome its strength and sweep.
From Byzantine Churches in Constantinople Their History and Architecture by Alexander Van Millingen
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," spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a statement.
From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2023
He also argues the new consultation requirement impinges on academic freedom.
From Science Magazine ● Oct. 18, 2023
In Verhaeren's poetry the lyric exceeds the bounds of its domain and impinges on the dramatic and the epic.
From ?mile Verhaeren by Stefan Zweig
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 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
"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
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
According to atomists such as Gassendi, light was caused by a stream of tiny particles emerging from bright objects, like the Sun, and impinging on the eyes of the viewer.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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.
