impact

verb

im·pact | \ im-ˈpakt

impacted; impacting; impacts

Definition of impact

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to fix firmly by or as if by packing or wedging

b : to press together

2a : to have a direct effect or impact on : impinge on

b : to strike forcefully also : to cause to strike forcefully

intransitive verb

1 : to have an impact —often used with on

2 : to impinge or make contact especially forcefully

impact

noun

im·pact | \ ˈim-ˌpakt

Definition of impact (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : an impinging or striking especially of one body against another

b : a forceful contact or onset also : the impetus communicated in or as if in such a contact

2 : the force of impression of one thing on another : a significant or major effect the impact of science on our society an environmental impact study

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Is impact a verb? More Example Sentences Learn More about impact

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Choose the Right Synonym for impact

Noun

impact, collision, shock, concussion mean a forceful, even violent contact between two or more things. impact may be used to imply contact between two things, at least one of which is impelled toward the other. the glass shattered on impact with the floor collision implies the coming together of two or more things with such force that both or all are damaged or their progress is severely impeded. the collision damaged the vehicle shock often denotes the effect produced by a collision and carries the suggestion of something that strikes or hits with force. the shock of falling rocks concussion when not in technical use, often suggests the shattering, disrupting, or weakening effects of a collision, explosion, or blow. bystanders felt the concussion of the blast

Is impact a verb?

Verb

You may occasionally run into claims that impact is not a verb, or that it is somehow ill-suited to a role in this part of speech. Not only is that not the case, but the verb form of impact is much older than the noun form. It is possible that the word started attracting more displeasure when it began being widely used in a figurative sense as a transitive verb ("we expect the recession to impact the company"). The word is certainly a verb, although before using it in this manner in writing it is worth considering your audience, and whether members of it are likely to consider this use problematic.

Examples of impact in a Sentence

Verb

No one is sure how these changes will impact our relations with other countries. Both events negatively impacted her life. The tax increase will impact low-income families the most. The poor economy is impacting on small businesses. A crater was formed at the point where the meteor impacted the planet's surface.

Noun

No one could have survived such an impact. These warnings have been heard so often that they have lost their impact. The book had a huge impact when it first came out. We need to be concerned about the environmental impacts of all this construction. She expects to make an immediate impact at work.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Insiders say Beijing isn't likely to risk impacting its booming box office in retaliation against tariffs, but the aggressive U.S. stance could further delay stalled film-quota negotiations. — Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, "Will Hollywood Get Caught in Trump's China Trade War Crossfire?," 13 July 2018 Subsequent rounds of retaliation could deeper and become more widespread, with more industries and regions impacted. — Phillip Molnar, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Can the U.S. economy withstand a trade war?," 13 July 2018 The company said the effort would impact about six percent of follower counts across the service. — Elizabeth Dwoskin, chicagotribune.com, "Twitter begins removing millions of accounts in crackdown on fake profiles," 11 July 2018 Triple Crown winner keeps winning Concerns about Justify's health could obviously impact the timetable of his return to racing. — Gentry Estes, The Courier-Journal, "Race plans on hold as Justify is evaluated for ankle condition," 10 July 2018 That said, the extent to which shoes can really impact race day performance is still very much up for debate. — Martin Fritz Huber, Outside Online, "Is it Fair for Runners to Compete in Prototypes?," 10 July 2018 There are also 42,000 Airbnb rooms available for rent in the same area right now, but that number could be impacted if the City Council regulates short-term rentals. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Will LA’s ‘no-build’ Olympics spur Southern California’s next building boom?," 10 July 2018 Most council members asked about things such as whether Amazon might use drones and how the center would impact traffic. — Steve Harrison, charlotteobserver, "Charlotte supports millions for Amazon, but doesn't know how much new jobs will pay," 5 July 2018 Last fall, at the height of Me Too, questions inevitably swirled around whether the movement would impact office relationships. — refinery29.com, "Intel's CEO Resigned Due To A Relationship — Is That Really A Bad Thing?," 22 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Bastian said the company has had early success in covering higher fuel costs, offsetting two-thirds of the impact of the fuel cost increase in the June quarter. — Kelly Yamanouchi, ajc, "Delta to trim growth plans for flights this fall," 13 July 2018 This was an extremely long opinion that was full of legalese and short on practical understanding of the impact of unlimited money on political campaigns. — Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, "The ‘cloistered’ Harvard-Yale law monopoly on the Supreme Court," 10 July 2018 But what kind of impact have free agents made for the Wings in years past? — Taylor Gribble, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Red Wings in free agency: How have recent signings panned out?," 10 July 2018 The National Bureau of Statistics announced that the consumer price index was 1.9 per cent in June from a year earlier, up from 1.8 percent in May. There was little indication of the impact of rising U.S. tariffs on Chinese products. — Annabelle Liang, The Seattle Times, "Asian markets mirror optimism on Wall Street," 10 July 2018 His insertion didn’t have much of an impact on a Seattle squad that entered Saturday sitting 22nd out of 23 MLS franchises in shots recorded on goal. — Owen Pence, BostonGlobe.com, "Revolution, Sounders end in scoreless draw," 8 July 2018 In response to that incident, as well as a general protest of the impact of gentrification on the area, hundreds of Black locals showed up at the same park a few days later to fire up their grills and throw their own party. — Paula Rogo, Essence.com, "'BBQ Becky' Called the Cops on This Black Man. Now He Is Running for City Council," 6 July 2018 Most are seeking a more affordable lifestyle, as well as a stronger sense of community and the opportunity to make more of an impact. — Christa Case Bryant, The Christian Science Monitor, "How young liberals' moves to Red America may temper political divides," 6 July 2018 The fire isn't having as much of an impact on certain crops because they won't be harvested until later. — Cassie Dickman, sacbee, "As 'menacing' County Fire burns, Capay Valley farmers brace for smoke — and uncertainty," 3 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'impact.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.