impinged; impinging
2
: to have an effect : make an impression
… waiting for the germ of a new idea to impinge upon my mind …—
Phyllis Bentley
Phyllis Bentley3
: to strike or dash especially with a sharp collision
… I heard the rain impinge upon the earth …—James Joyce
James JoyceExamples of impinge in a Sentence
hail was noisily impinging upon the car's exterior
Recent Examples on the Web
His character is an avatar for the austere religion that threatens to impinge on the wildness that reigns at the Heights.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
To be fair, the gentleman in the middle seat next to me did his best to not impinge on his neighbors, and the flight was fine.
—Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Then again, that slightly generic quality never impinges on the film’s characterizations, and allows viewers to extrapolate the finer points of this story to the plights of so many other refugees, from Syria and elsewhere.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 27 Jan. 2026
The flames impinged on a nearby building, but the building did not catch fire, the fire department said.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impinge
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Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
To be fair, the gentleman in the middle seat next to me did his best to not impinge on his neighbors, and the flight was fine.
—Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Then again, that slightly generic quality never impinges on the film’s characterizations, and allows viewers to extrapolate the finer points of this story to the plights of so many other refugees, from Syria and elsewhere.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 27 Jan. 2026
The flames impinged on a nearby building, but the building did not catch fire, the fire department said.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impinge
Cite this Entry
“Impinge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impinge. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
impinge
verb
im·pinge
im-ˈpinj 
impinged; impinging
1
: to strike or dash especially with a sharp collision
sound waves impinge on the eardrums
2
: encroach sense 1, infringe
impinge on another's rights
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