impact

1 of 2

noun

im·pact ˈim-ˌpakt

plural impacts

Synonyms of impact next

: an impinging or striking especially of one body against another

: a forceful contact or onset

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

: the force of impression of one thing on another : a significant or major effect

the impact of science on our society

a study outlining the potential environmental impacts of the construction project

impact

2 of 2

verb

im·pact im-ˈpakt

impacted; impacting; impacts

transitive verb

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

: to strike forcefully

also : to cause to strike forcefully

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

: to press together

intransitive verb

: to have an impact

—often used with on

: to impinge or make contact especially forcefully

Did you know?

Is impact a 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.

Choose the Right Synonym for impact

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

Examples of impact in a Sentence

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. 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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Casino workers had been working under a three-year extension to a five-year contract from 2015, and in 2020 accepted small pay increases due to the pandemic's impact on business, according to the Detroit Casino Council, which represents workers from five unions. —

Kate Gibson, CBS News, 17 Oct. 2023 While more research is still needed to confirm dark tea’s impact on diabetes risk, adding dark tea to your routine is still a worthwhile endeavor. —

Kaitlin Vogel, Health, 17 Oct. 2023 And none of these vaccines have ever been shown to have any negative impact on the fetus or newborn. —

Erika Edwards, NBC News, 17 Oct. 2023 What was the last Drake single that felt (or had an impact) like any of those? —

Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 17 Oct. 2023 Here, experts recommend strategies to brace for impact. —

Tanza Loudenback, wsj.com, 16 Oct. 2023 That echoing impact, combined with auteur name value and a Platform Prize win at Toronto last month, should secure the film global arthouse exposure. —

Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Oct. 2023 But the attacks have had dire impacts for civilians in Gaza, already one of the most impoverished locales on Earth, severely limiting access to fresh water and medical supplies for thousands of civilians. —

Jay L. Clendenin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2023 Plenty of circumstances could reduce the impact of drugs like Ozempic on the food industry: Interest in these drugs may die out, or demand could outstrip supply. —

Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN, 5 Oct. 2023

Verb

Today’s Talker: Hitting the snooze button multiple times doesn’t… … impact your sleep quality, a new study published in the Journal of Sleep Research suggests. —

Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 18 Oct. 2023 While one is not necessarily better than the other, the formulations will impact their texture, viscosity, and feel on the skin. —

Brittany Johnson, Verywell Health, 17 Oct. 2023 What authority are these leaders given to make decisions that directly impact the business? —

Jeanell English, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2023 The new rules are notably expected to impact Santa Clara, Calif.-based Nvidia, the leading supplier of chips for training advanced AI models and the sixth-most-valuable company in the world. —

Eva Dou, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2023 In July, Rogers was laid off as part of a broader reduction in staff that impacted the sales department. —

Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2023 Moreover, Hamas’ atrocities impacted not only Israelis, but people from 43 different countries. —

TIME, 15 Oct. 2023 Here’s how carb quality can impact middle-aged weight management, and how experts recommend people shape their diet around high-quality, nutrient-dense carbohydrates. —

Sarah Garone, Health, 14 Oct. 2023 This demographic was unfortunately greatly impacted by the high mortality rates of the virus. —

Jasmine Browley, Essence, 6 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'impact.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.