1
as in influences
to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response
their son claims that scary movies don't affect him in the least
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in involves
to be the business or affair of
fortunately, hurricane season doesn't affect the West Coast
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in simulates
to present a false appearance of
she affected complete unawareness that we were talking about her, though she must have overheard
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in haunts
to go to or spend time in often
a power couple known to affect all the fancy parties in town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of affects
Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 21 June 2026
More than four decades later, Campbell says the loss still affects her every day.
—Conor McGill, CBS News, 21 June 2026
The same flow control also affects how much heat is carried away from the electrolyzer, which feeds back into its resistance and electrical behavior.
—New Atlas, 21 June 2026
Gasparovic falls into the anti-accent wall camp and believes that incorporating one negatively affects the look of a room.
—Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 20 June 2026
If smoke affects your area, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue advises limiting time outdoors, keeping doors and windows closed, and setting air conditioning systems to recirculate.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 20 June 2026
Throughout our relationship, my husband has struggled with religious trauma that affects his desire (and ability) to be intimate.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 20 June 2026
Driven by poverty, displacement, limited access to quality education and other factors, child labor is most prevalent in agriculture and disproportionately affects children in the world’s poorest regions.
—Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Johnson said shifting the tax load onto renters won’t be enough to offset the total loss in revenue, which could lead to higher sales tax, utility tax and municipality fees, all of which also affects homeowners.
—Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 19 June 2026
Verb
Scientific American spoke with Devika Bhushan, a public health physician and adjunct faculty member at Stanford University School of Medicine, who studies gender norms, about the ways in which fatherhood affects men’s brains and the mental health struggles dads face.
—Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 21 June 2026
More than four decades later, Campbell says the loss still affects her every day.
—Conor McGill, CBS News, 21 June 2026
The same flow control also affects how much heat is carried away from the electrolyzer, which feeds back into its resistance and electrical behavior.
—New Atlas, 21 June 2026
Gasparovic falls into the anti-accent wall camp and believes that incorporating one negatively affects the look of a room.
—Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 20 June 2026
If smoke affects your area, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue advises limiting time outdoors, keeping doors and windows closed, and setting air conditioning systems to recirculate.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 20 June 2026
Throughout our relationship, my husband has struggled with religious trauma that affects his desire (and ability) to be intimate.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 20 June 2026
Driven by poverty, displacement, limited access to quality education and other factors, child labor is most prevalent in agriculture and disproportionately affects children in the world’s poorest regions.
—Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Johnson said shifting the tax load onto renters won’t be enough to offset the total loss in revenue, which could lead to higher sales tax, utility tax and municipality fees, all of which also affects homeowners.
—Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 19 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affects
Verb
-
Social connection influences health outcomes as powerfully as many medical interventions.—
Ezekiel J. Emanuel,
Fortune,
21 June 2026
-
The 10-day gap between Apple's announcement and sale also influences consumer upgrade decisions and trade-in values, primarily benefiting iPhone users.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
The longer answer involves a team of researchers right down the road in Arlington who are about to play a real role in keeping it that way.—
Ciara McCarthy. Produced with AI assistance,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 June 2026
-
Renting out parking lots, auditoriums and other school facilities often involves coming in on weekends and troubleshooting issues with vendors throughout the week, the North Side principal said.—
Mila Koumpilova,
Chicago Tribune,
22 June 2026
Verb
-
This year's scenario simulates an airplane crash into a building, creating multiple injuries and casualties.—
Hannah McIlree,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
-
The Supercomputer simulates the remaining fixtures of a season 10,000 times and analyses the results to create an average league table from those simulations.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The simple knowing haunts the home dweller, as eventually, all of the unseen areas have to be addressed.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
18 June 2026
-
Yes, Musk, too, wants to make his own GPUs, and that story haunts the price of Nvidia stock, too.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Of course, the season was also filled with tough, behind-the-scenes moments, including Dayton Bramhall being cut for the third time, an unexpected injury and a closer look at how social media impacts the team.—
Joelle Goldstein,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
-
However, household food insecurity is consistently linked with parental depression, anxiety and stress, which in turn impacts child behavior and development.—
Lina Ruiz
June 16,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Heuermann has been a voracious reader in jail, but Toulon said the inmate’s preference for violent crime and mystery novels — some about serial killers — concerns him.—
Philip Marcelo,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
-
The alleged threat is portrayed as undermining First Amendment protections for freedom of association, which concerns the ability of groups to engage in expression and group activities without government interference.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Beauty, then, arises from the pain and struggle of experiencing oneself as a site of divine truancy, and ugly is that which pretends to be directly equivalent to the soul, God, etc.—
Esther Yi,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
-
The person on the phone pretends to be IT support and tries to convince the employee to install remote desktop software.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
As someone who frequents the office, a lightweight sweater is a necessity for balancing between frigid temps inside and balmy weather outside.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
4 June 2026
-
Old Second is a married gay man who frequents the cinema while his wife, Bao Mei, sells movie tickets.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Affects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affects. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
