influence
Americannoun
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influences
plural
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the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others.
He used family influence to get the contract.
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the action or process of producing effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of another or others.
Her mother's influence made her stay.
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a person or thing that exerts influence.
He is an influence for the good.
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Astrology.
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the radiation of an ethereal fluid from the stars, regarded as affecting human actions and destinies.
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the exercise of occult power by the stars, or such power as exercised.
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the exercise of similar power by human beings.
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Obsolete. influx.
verb (used with object)
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influences,
present (3rd person singular)
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influenced,
past participle, past
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influencing
present participle
idioms
noun
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an effect of one person or thing on another
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the power of a person or thing to have such an effect
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power or sway resulting from ability, wealth, position, etc
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a person or thing having influence
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astrology an ethereal fluid or occult power regarded as emanating from the stars and affecting a person's actions, future, etc
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informal drunk
verb
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to persuade or induce
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to have an effect upon (actions, events, etc); affect
Usage
What are other ways to say influence? Influence is the action or process of producing effects on the actions, behavior, opinions of another or others. How does influence compare to control and authority? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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counterinfluencenoun
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influencernoun
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noninfluencenoun
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preinfluencenoun
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superinfluencenoun
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interinfluenceverb
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outinfluenceverb (used with object)
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overinfluenceverb (used with object)
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reinfluenceverb (used with object)
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influenceableadjective
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uninfluencedadjective
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uninfluencingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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influencesimple
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influencessimple
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have influencedperfect
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has influencedperfect
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am influencingprogressive
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are influencingprogressive
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is influencingprogressive
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have been influencingperfect progressive
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has been influencingperfect progressive
Past
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influencedsimple
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had influencedperfect
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was influencingprogressive
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were influencingprogressive
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had been influencingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of influence
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Medieval Latin influentia “stellar emanation,” equivalent to Latin influent- ( see influent) + -ia -y 3; see -ence
Explanation
Influence is the power to have an important effect on someone or something. If someone influences someone else, they are changing a person or thing in an indirect but important way. Sometimes a person who influences another doesn't intend to have any effect, but sometimes they are using influence to benefit themselves. An example of a personal benefit or advantage would be the use of political influence. Influence is also a verb, from Latin influere to flow in.
Vocabulary lists containing influence
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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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:
Though Uganda is governed by an elected president, it has several traditional kingdoms which continue to have significant cultural influence despite not having political power.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Oliver and her colleagues are now examining another important question: whether human-driven changes to landscapes and climate influence the likelihood that animals will survive.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
It didn't respond to a request for comment, but it has rejected suggestions that its influence is collapsing, saying hundreds of candidates it backed have won their primaries.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
He would hew to tradition—big hair, ballgowns and, yes, swimsuits—and turn competitors into “commerce queens” whose social-media influence could be monetized.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
He used his power and influence to protect and conserve 230 million acres of American forest, desert, and plains, including the Grand Canyon, Muir Woods, Yosemite, and the Painted Desert, to name a few.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
The Fed sets a single, overnight interest rate, which then influences long-term bond yields and mortgage rates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Other influences, including hormones, also play important roles.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
For more than four decades, Kidjo, 66, has taken African sounds to global audiences, blending influences from her native Benin with funk, jazz and pop.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
To explore how the protein influences appetite and body weight, the animals were given free access to soybean oil as a source of dietary fat.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
Near Eastern influences began to spread to the northern shore of the Mediterranean.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
A host of companies are influenced by Nvidia results, including SpaceX.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Away from this family links he has also been greatly influenced by Irish musicians such as the Pogues, Christy Moore and the Undertones.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
A New Englander deeply influenced by his reading of the Transcendentalists, Ives went into the insurance business while continuing to compose music, though his compositions weren’t widely performed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
“The other, influenced by the detective’s statement about an arrest, also identified Guy.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
William was succeeded by Anne, the second daughter of James II, who, before and during her twelve-year reign, was greatly influenced by Halifax.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
Not least because the meal-assembling robot companies that have seemingly disappeared are actually still influencing food start-ups.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
The second bill aims to bar private investors from influencing a case — for example, telling a lawyer how many clients to take on or when to settle — in lawsuits they fund.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may already be influencing human biology.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
Brands rushing to Reddit in the hopes of influencing AI outputs are colliding with the platform’s fiercely protective moderators, the WSJ Leadership Institute’s Katie Deighton reports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Piper looked up at the clouds and wondered if her mother, Aphrodite, was somehow influencing him.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
