impingement

American  

[im-pinj-muhnt] / ɪmˈpɪndʒ mənt /

noun

impingements plural

1. the act or fact of encroaching or infringing.

   This is an impingement on the fundamental right of free speech.

2. the act or fact of striking or touching something, or the effect produced by this.

   The impingement on the diamond’s hard crystal surface is due to oxygen in the air.

3. Medicine/Medical. the act or fact of interfering with something, especially a nerve, through contact or pressure.

   Impingement on the nerves can be relieved by removing the portion of the bone compressing the neural structures.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• impingements
  plural

Etymology

Origin of impingement

impinge ( def. ) + -ment ( def. )

Example Sentences

Terry has a chronic hip impingement, the Ducks revealed Thursday in their postseason injury report.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

“It’s for people with shoulder impingement or spinal compression issues. It takes all the compression off your spine and allows you to perform a squat under resistance.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 27, 2025

By the time Sasaki finally went on the injured list with a shoulder impingement in early May, he had a 4.72 ERA and some of the worst underlying metrics in the majors.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 12, 2025

If Roberts’ story was accurate, and Sasaki experienced a shoulder impingement similar to the one that slowed him down last year in Japan, wouldn’t that point to a chronic problem?

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2025

In particular, we have a certain definite point on the earth’s surface on which the edge of the shadow first impinges; this impingement necessarily takes place at sunrise.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 10 "Echinoderma" to "Edward" by Various