impinge

verb im·pinge \ im-ˈpinj \

|Updated on: 12 Jul 2018

Examples: impinge in a Sentence

impinged; impinging

intransitive verb

1 : to strike or dash especially with a sharp collision

I heard the rain impinge upon the earth
—James Joyce

2 : to have an effect : make an impression

waiting for the germ of a new idea to impinge upon my mind
—Phyllis Bentley

3 : encroach, infringe

impinge on other people's rights

—

impingement

play \im-ˈpinj-mənt\ noun

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Examples of impinge in a Sentence

hail was noisily impinging upon the car's exterior

Recent Examples of impinge from the Web

Political leaders have demanded that Silicon Valley do better in the 2018 mid-term elections despite a lack of new laws or clear federal guidance on how to crack down on disinformation without impinging on constitutional guarantees of free speech.

— craig timberg and elizabeth dwoskin, chicagotribune.com, "Twitter is sweeping out fake accounts like never before, putting user growth at risk," 7 July 2018
The state party filed an unsuccessful lawsuit in May, tortuously arguing that RCV impinged on their rights of association under the First Amendment.

— The Economist, "In praise of ranked-choice voting," 14 June 2018
Both that business case, and the idea that drug laws impinge on personal liberty, make marijuana reform a compelling cause for Gardner’s libertarian wing of the Republican party.

— david z. morris, Fortune, "Why President Trump May Well Flip-Flop on Marijuana Legalization," 9 June 2018
The ministry insisted that the law would not impinge on freedom of expression or the protection of journalists' sources.

— laura smith-spark and saskya vandoorne, CNN, "As France debates fake news bill, critics see threat to free speech," 7 June 2018
In between snuggling her two youngest kids and refereeing a video game the older ones were playing, Pruett described to me some of the ways that the family’s financial crisis had impinged on her academic life.

— marcella bombardieri, The Atlantic, "One College's Struggle to Get Poor Students Through School," 30 May 2018
As moisture on south winds impinged on the front, near Ellicott City, storm cells blossomed in the unstable afternoon air.

— jeff halverson, Washington Post, "The second 1,000-year rainstorm in two years engulfed Ellicott City. Here’s how it happened.," 28 May 2018
In both instances, regulation became a priority only when reckless sale of these goods abroad began to impinge on security at home.

— priya satia, The New Republic, "What Mass Shootings and Big Data Have in Common," 10 May 2018
Darkness impinges on a pastel horizon, as night relentlessly encroaches upon day.

— lily janiak, San Francisco Chronicle, "New frontiers of grief, love in Marin Theatre Company’s ‘Marjorie Prime’," 9 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of impinge

Latin impingere, from in- + pangere to fasten, drive in — more at pact

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1605

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

impinge Synonyms

Synonyms

bang, bash, bump, collide, crash, hit, impact, knock, ram, slam, smash, strike, swipe, thud;

Near Antonyms

miss, skirt;

contact, land, touch;

brush, graze, kiss, nudge, scrape, shave, sweep;

bulldoze, jostle, muscle, press, push;

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impinge

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impinge

impingement

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