impinge

verb im·pinge \ im-ˈpinj \

Updated on: 17 May 2018

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

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
Unlike, say, Westworld, where outside factors constantly impinge on its smaller world, 3% is functionally self-contained.

— devon maloney, The Verge, "3% is the most riveting, uplifting dystopian show you’re not watching," 6 May 2018
This body, composed of volunteer commissioners from each city council district, acts as a privacy check on the city when any municipal entity (typically the police department) wants to acquire a technology that may impinge on individual privacy.

— cyrus farivar, Ars Technica, "Oakland passes “strongest” surveillance oversight law in US," 3 May 2018
Anything that impinges on a dog’s natural stress response to run away—such as being locked in a bear hug—is likely to generate more anxiety.

— conor gaffey, Newsweek, "Paws Off: Animal Behavior Expert Argues That Your Dog Hates Hugs," 27 Apr. 2016
This is not the first time that New Boise has impinged on Dudley’s livelihood.

— maria l. la ganga, idahostatesman, "This is the last call for another Boise icon, home of fishing reels and PBR | Idaho Statesman," 13 Apr. 2018
In the age of ad blocking, where consumers respond negatively and decisively to ads that impinge on the user experience, native has become an important — if not critical — revenue source for the rest of the media ecosystem.

— justin choi, Philly.com, "Hey Mark Zuckerberg: A software CEO describes how Facebook can fix its ugly ad problem," 10 Apr. 2018
Those restrictions have been framed not as about impinging on gun owners’ rights, but as offering safety from foreign terrorists, which has a subtext of racial threat.

— benjamin g. bishin, Washington Post, "Why is it so hard to regulate guns — even though gun regulation is so popular?," 16 Feb. 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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