influence

noun in·flu·ence \ ˈin-ˌflü-ən(t)s , especially Southern in-ˈflü- \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of influence

plural influences

1 a :an ethereal fluid held to flow from the stars and to affect the actions of humans

b :an emanation of occult power held to derive from stars

2 :an emanation of spiritual or moral force

3 a :the act or power of producing an effect without apparent exertion of force or direct exercise of command

b :corrupt interference with authority for personal gain

4 :the power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways :sway

5 :one that exerts influence

— under the influence

:affected by alcohol or drug intoxication

was arrested for driving under the influence

See influence defined for English-language learners

See influence defined for kids

Examples of influence in a Sentence

Recent years have seen a decline in the company's influence within the industry.
Her ideas have gradually gained influence in the company.
He used his influence to reform the company's policies.
She has remained under the influence of her parents.
She claims that her personal problems played no influence upon her decision to resign.
His health problems may have had some influence on his decision.
Her parents still have a great deal of influence over her.
The chairman wields considerable influence over the board's decisions.
Her parents are concerned that her new friends may have a bad influence on her.
Emily Dickinson has had a major influence on his poetry.

Recent Examples of influence from the Web

Moore - as well as Brooks in the primary -- has railed against McConnell's influence in the race.

— paul gattis, AL.com, "Mitch McConnell pours more money into Luther Strange campaign," 30 Aug. 2017
The MDMA-treatment consists of several sessions of psychotherapy, some conducted while the patient is under the influence of the drug.

— kai kupferschmidt, Science | AAAS, "All clear for the decisive trial of ecstasy in PTSD patients," 27 Aug. 2017
Twenty years later, the memory of Diana — a youthful mother cut down, leaving two children behind — remains vital, her influence still felt.

— gregory katz, The Seattle Times, "Princess Diana’s influence endures 20 years after her death," 26 Aug. 2017
The study by sociologist Pete Simi of Chapman University in Orange, Calif., suggests that influences on these followers may be related more to the group’s social bonds than ideology.

— sharon jayson, Kaiser Health News, "Charlottesville Postmortem: Why People Join Hate Groups," 24 Aug. 2017
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have loudly claimed that Iran is expanding its influence in Yemen and other Arab Gulf countries - claims frequently echoed by Washington think tanks funded by these countries.

— chicagotribune.com, "Saudi Arabia's 'war on terror' is now targeting Saudi Shia," 23 Aug. 2017
Combined with the power and influence of Twitter, the hashtag empowers everyone to see what's happening in the world and what people are talking about.

— andrea park, Teen Vogue, "Twitter Celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the Hashtag," 23 Aug. 2017
Beyond Breitbart’s influence on the president’s ratings, the fact remains that, ideologically, Trump leans closer to his former chief strategist than those left in his White House and currently shaping his Afghanistan policy.

— isobel thompson, The Hive, "With Bannon Gone, Trump Doubles Down in Afghanistan," 21 Aug. 2017
Police believe all three teens were under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the robbery, per WTVY.

— miamiherald, "He woke up to three teens robbing his cars — so he shot one of them with an AK-47, police say," 18 Aug. 2017

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

The Surprising History of Influence and Its Modern Use

Influence may seem like a ho-hum word, but its history is heavenly.

The word first referred to a celestial fluid that was believed to flow from the stars. As this fluid reached the Earth, it supposedly affected the actions of the planet's inhabitants—especially the human ones. (The word influenza has the same origin: the Medieval Latin word influentia. It was for a time believed that epidemics were caused by unusual conjunctions of the planets.)

In modern use, the noun typically refers to the power to change or affect someone or something—especially the power to cause changes without directly forcing those changes to happen. Influence can also refer to a person or thing that affects someone or something in an important way.

The noun had been in use for more than 200 years before the verb use developed. As a verb, influence typically means "to affect or change someone or something in an indirect but usually important way." Something or someone that influences a person or thing, then, has an influence on that person or thing.

Origin and Etymology of influence

Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin influentia, from Latin influent-, influens, present participle of influere to flow in, from in- + fluere to flow — more at fluid

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

influence Synonyms

Synonyms

authority, clout, credit, heft, in, juice [slang], leverage, pull, sway, weight

Related Words

counterinfluence; command, dominance, dominion, mastery, predominance, reign, scepter, sovereignty (also sovranty), supremacy; consequence, eminence, importance, moment; impact, impress, impression, imprint, mark

Near Antonyms

helplessness, impotence, impotency, powerlessness, weakness

Synonym Discussion of influence

influence, authority, prestige, weight, credit mean power exerted over the minds or behavior of others. influence may apply to a force exercised and received consciously or unconsciously.

- used her influence to get the bill passed

authority implies the power of winning devotion or allegiance or of compelling acceptance and belief.

- his opinions lacked authority

prestige implies the ascendancy given by conspicuous excellence or reputation for superiority.

- the prestige of the newspaper

weight implies measurable or decisive influence in determining acts or choices.

- their wishes obviously carried much weight

credit suggests influence that arises from the confidence of others.

- his credit with the press

influence

verb

Definition of influence

influenced; influencing

transitive verb

1 :to affect or alter by indirect or intangible means

She attempted to influence his decision.

greatly influenced by my parents

2 :to have an effect on the condition or development of

Productivity was influenced by worker satisfaction.

—

influenceable

play \ˈin-ˌflü-ən(t)-sə-bəl\ adjective

- In the situation where performance measures are not seen as influenceable, there is little chance of the person seeing a connection between his effort and his rewards.
- —Lyman W. Porter et al.

—

influencer

noun, plural influencers

- The old theme of laziness and mellowness runs counter to today's influencers, who are businesspeople and upscale inspirational promoters of a go-getter way of life.
- —John C. Dvorak

See influence defined for English-language learners

Examples of influence in a Sentence

I was deeply influenced by my parents.
She claims that her decision to resign was not influenced by her personal problems.
No one knows how this decision will influence the outcome of the election.
He's accused of illegally attempting to influence the jury.

Recent Examples of influence from the Web

Saban was influenced by Belichick, who once took his cues from Parcells.

— rainer sabin, AL.com, "Bill Parcells calls Nick Saban's run at Alabama 'remarkable'," 29 Aug. 2017
McElwain insists his plan is not influenced by the approach of Harbaugh, who has not released a roster since last season.

— edgar thompson, OrlandoSentinel.com, "UF coach Jim McElwain, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh mum on starting QB," 28 Aug. 2017
There's no putting a number on the amount of people who have been influenced by her music, but heading over to change.org gives a little clarity: 26,187 supporters (and counting) have signed the petition.

— rachel nussbaum, Glamour, "An Aaliyah MAC Collection Is Happening By Popular Demand," 24 Aug. 2017
The waiter was a (willing) participant in an experiment concocted by behavioral scientists to study how a small gift (in this case, a chocolate) could influence how much restaurant patrons decided to tip.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Why you tip your waiter as much as you do," 23 Aug. 2017
The government, however, doesn't have to prove that contracts or policies were influenced to convict those charged.

— brent snavely, Detroit Free Press, "Feds: Fiat Chrysler VP bribed UAW execs 'to take company friendly positions'," 19 Aug. 2017
Educational methods, new content materials and technological advances influenced her program.

— The Aegis, "Snees inducted into Harford Educator Hall of Fame," 11 Aug. 2017
At Yeshiva University rabbinical school years later, I was deeply influenced by the saintly Rav Dovid Lifschitz.

— rabbi avi weiss, Jewish Journal, "Weiss: Finding the balance of listening to God and to ourselves," 7 Aug. 2017
Even Catholic social teaching is influencing some students.

— jeff cimmino, National Review, "Rise of the Young Traditionalists," 4 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of influence

1658

influence Synonyms

Synonyms

impact, impress, ¹affect, move, reach, strike, sway, tell (on), touch

Related Words

carry away, dazzle, enrapture, entrance, enthrall (or enthral), ravish, transport; bias, color; inspire, stir; engage, interest, involve, penetrate, pierce; afflict, agitate, bother, concern, discomfort, discompose, disquiet, distress, disturb, fluster, harass, harry, perturb, pester, plague, smite, strain, stress, trouble, try, upset, worry, wring; allure, attract, bewitch, captivate, charm, enchant, fascinate

Near Antonyms

bore, jade, pall, tire, weary; underwhelm

Synonym Discussion of influence

affect, influence, touch, impress, strike, sway mean to produce or have an effect upon. affect implies the action of a stimulus that can produce a response or reaction.

- the sight affected her to tears

influence implies a force that brings about a change (as in nature or behavior).

- our beliefs are influenced by our upbringing

touch may carry a vivid suggestion of close contact and may connote stirring, arousing, or harming.

- plants touched by frost
- his emotions were touched by her distress

impress stresses the depth and persistence of the effect.

- only one of the plans impressed him

strike, similar to but weaker than impress, may convey the notion of sudden sharp perception or appreciation.

- struck by the solemnity of the occasion

sway implies the acting of influences that are not resisted or are irresistible, with resulting change in character or course of action.

- politicians who are swayed by popular opinion

INFLUENCE Defined for English Language Learners

influence

noun

Definition of influence for English Language Learners

: the power to change or affect someone or something : the power to cause changes without directly forcing them to happen
: a person or thing that affects someone or something in an important way

influence

verb

Definition of influence for English Language Learners

: to affect or change (someone or something) in an indirect but usually important way : to have an influence on (someone or something)

INFLUENCE Defined for Kids

influence

noun in·flu·ence \ ˈin-ˌflü-əns \

Definition of influence for Students

1 :the act or power of causing an effect or change without use of direct force or authority

You could move to some other part of Mexico, but … Luis's influence is far-reaching.
—Pam Muñoz Ryan,

2 :a person or thing that has an indirect but usually important effect

She's a bad influence on him.

influence

verb

Definition of influence for Students

influenced; influencing

:to affect or change in an indirect but usually important way I was influenced by my parents.

Law Dictionary

influence

noun in·flu·ence

legal Definition of influence

1 a :the act or power of producing an effect without any apparent exertion of force or direct exercise of command

b :corrupt interference with authority for personal gain

2 :the power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways

3 :one that exerts influence

—

influencer

noun

— under the influence

:affected by alcohol or another intoxicant

was arrested for driving under the influence

influence

transitive verb

legal Definition of influence

influenced; influencing

1 :to alter or affect by indirect or intangible means

the exemption would allow a conglomerate that owns both a media business and an unrelated business to influence or control the media
—Citizens United v. Federal Election Commʼn, 130 S. Ct. 876 (2010)

2 :to have an effect on the condition or development of

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influence

Definition of influence

influenceable

influencer

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INFLUENCE Defined for English Language Learners

influence

Definition of influence for English Language Learners

influence

Definition of influence for English Language Learners

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influence

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influence

Definition of influence for Students

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legal Definition of influence

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