as in damages
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
already impaired by a crack, the windshield shattered upon impact with the baseball
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Recent Examples of impairs
Excess glucose also impairs our brain's functioning.
—
Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026
On the other hand, chronic sleep deprivation impairs attention, disrupts decision-making and alters the hormones that regulate appetite and metabolism.
—Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, The Conversation, 23 Jan. 2026
Russia’s second front The most dangerous front in Europe this year will shift from the trenches in Donetsk to the hybrid war between Russia and NATO as Vladimir Putin seeks to erode European support for Ukraine before economic strain impairs his ability to prosecute the hot war.
—Ian Bremmer, Time, 6 Jan. 2026
If rain severely impairs your vision, pull over and wait for conditions to improve.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 5 Jan. 2026
Cerebral palsy is a permanent neurological condition that impairs a person’s ability to control body movement and maintain muscle coordination.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 31 Dec. 2025
Key Takeaways Short-term, alcohol slows brain processing, triggers the reward system, reduces stress and pain, impairs spatial thinking, and can cause memory lapses or blackouts.
—Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 6 Nov. 2025
Lead is a neurotoxin that impairs brain development.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 17 Oct. 2025
If rain severely impairs your vision, pull over and wait for conditions to improve.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025
Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026
On the other hand, chronic sleep deprivation impairs attention, disrupts decision-making and alters the hormones that regulate appetite and metabolism.
—Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, The Conversation, 23 Jan. 2026
Russia’s second front The most dangerous front in Europe this year will shift from the trenches in Donetsk to the hybrid war between Russia and NATO as Vladimir Putin seeks to erode European support for Ukraine before economic strain impairs his ability to prosecute the hot war.
—Ian Bremmer, Time, 6 Jan. 2026
If rain severely impairs your vision, pull over and wait for conditions to improve.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 5 Jan. 2026
Cerebral palsy is a permanent neurological condition that impairs a person’s ability to control body movement and maintain muscle coordination.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 31 Dec. 2025
Key Takeaways Short-term, alcohol slows brain processing, triggers the reward system, reduces stress and pain, impairs spatial thinking, and can cause memory lapses or blackouts.
—Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 6 Nov. 2025
Lead is a neurotoxin that impairs brain development.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 17 Oct. 2025
If rain severely impairs your vision, pull over and wait for conditions to improve.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impairs
Verb
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What damages a human being is sin.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The progressive disease damages the protective cover around nerves called myelin in your central nervous system, according to the Cleveland Clinic.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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California law already criminalizes unsafe gun storage in certain situations, including when a child accesses a firearm and injures or kills someone.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
29 Dec. 2025
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In self-defense, Franck's group injures one of the attackers.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The picture exudes both grace and vulnerability, and hints at imperfection by way of a disconcerting, coral-like wrinkle that mars the foot’s heel.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
20 Dec. 2025
-
Deadly holiday weekend mars broad crime drop The back-and-forth followed a Labor Day weekend of deadly violence in Chicago worse than in the previous two years, with seven people shot to death, according to preliminary Chicago Police Department reports.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When CEOs treat financial advice as a substitute for judgment, leadership starts to erode, decisions slow down, and conviction weakens.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Trump’s focus on the Western Hemisphere — as a show of might that weakens China’s geostrategic influence, Nikkei wrote.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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These pressures could produce a tsunami that fractures the state’s fiscal foundation, self-inflicts a crisis ultimately demanding drastic cuts, and cripples its competitiveness.—
Andrew Rein,
New York Daily News,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Scarface and friends attack the lab, and break out the kryptonite that cripples El and Kali.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Confidence erodes, even when results look strong.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Although anger may blow over when the argument is over, the impact of hostile language stays with your partner and erodes the foundation of trust and safety in your relationship.—
Molly Burrets,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In seismic papers, Borjas’s research described the drawbacks of immigration, including his oft-cited, though much-disputed, findings that the arrival of lower-skilled immigrants hurts American workers who compete for jobs, especially poor people and African Americans.—
Lauren Kaori Gurley,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
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That one still hurts a little bit.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Moreover, such rapid decay of institutions compromises, to varying degrees, all those who find themselves within them.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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That compromises them on the defensive glass and allows bigger defenders to crowd Davidson down the stretch.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impairs. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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