impinge

[ im-pinj ]

/ ɪmˈpɪndʒ /

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See synonyms for: impinge / impingement on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), im·pinged, im·ping·ing.

to make an impression; have an effect or impact (usually followed by on or upon): to impinge upon the imagination; social pressures that impinge upon one's daily life.

to encroach; infringe (usually followed by on or upon): to impinge on another's rights.

to strike; dash; collide (usually followed by on, upon, or against): rays of light impinging on the eye.

verb (used with object), im·pinged, im·ping·ing.

Obsolete. to come into violent contact with.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM impinge

im·ping·ent, adjectiveim·ping·er, nounim·pinge·ment, nounun·im·ping·ing, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH impinge

infringe, impinge

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use impinge in a sentence

All I do is say how I’ve felt about it, how it impinged on my sensibility.
Jan Morris, artful travel writer who broke many boundaries, dies at 94|Matt Schudel|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
In later specimens, however, the attempt was made to keep the perforations from impinging on the printed portion.
History of the Postage Stamps of the United States of America|John Kerr Tiffany
We may also suppose that the bell was rung by some external force impinging on it, although the cord was not pulled.
Mysterious Psychic Forces|Camille Flammarion
It is easy to see how the ice masses impinging upon it have reduced it to successively lower levels.
Mount Rainier|Various

This question of carload ratings is, however, treated elsewhere; impinging, as it does upon matters of freight classifications.
Railroads: Rates and Regulations|William Z. Ripley
If the plane is moving in the direction of the jet with the velocity u, the quantity impinging per second is ω(v u).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 1|Various

British Dictionary definitions for impinge

impinge

/ (ɪmˈpɪndʒ) /

verb

(intr; usually foll by on or upon) to encroach or infringe; trespassto impinge on someone's time

(intr; usually foll by on, against, or upon) to collide (with); strike

Derived forms of impinge

impingement, nounimpinger, noun

Word Origin for impinge

C16: from Latin impingere to drive at, dash against, from pangere to fasten, drive in

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

impinge

Origin of impinge

OTHER WORDS FROM impinge

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH impinge

Words related to impinge

How to use impinge in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for impinge

Derived forms of impinge

Word Origin for impinge