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
Cats are also very susceptible to acetaminophen (Tylenol) poisoning, which causes liver damage and impairs the ability of blood to carry oxygen (methemoglobinemia).
—
The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
If rain severely impairs your vision, pull over and wait for conditions to improve.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 18 Feb. 2026
If rain severely impairs your vision, pull over and wait for conditions to improve.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026
If rain severely impairs your vision, pull over and wait for conditions to improve.
—Southern California Weather Report, Daily News, 11 Feb. 2026
Long before neuroscience confirmed it, the sages understood that sustained outrage narrows perception, impairs judgment, and corrodes community.
—Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
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
The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
If rain severely impairs your vision, pull over and wait for conditions to improve.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 18 Feb. 2026
If rain severely impairs your vision, pull over and wait for conditions to improve.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026
If rain severely impairs your vision, pull over and wait for conditions to improve.
—Southern California Weather Report, Daily News, 11 Feb. 2026
Long before neuroscience confirmed it, the sages understood that sustained outrage narrows perception, impairs judgment, and corrodes community.
—Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impairs
Verb
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This exposure damages the DNA in skin cells and can trigger changes that cause those cells to grow out of control and turn cancerous.—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
NBC news,
18 Mar. 2026
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Paralytic polio occurs when the virus damages motor neurons that control muscles.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Pool drain seriously injures girl Paloma Quatrini was just days away from her fourth birthday when the accident happened at an upscale resort in Mexico.—
Meghan Schiller,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
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When Don injures his hand, Blue (Hunter McVey) is forced to step into the competition for him.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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No sadness mars the purity of its paranoia.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
-
However, an earnestness mars most of the proceedings.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That limits air movement, reduces water infiltration, restricts root growth, and weakens biological activity.—
Dr. Avishesh Neupane,
Hartford Courant,
21 Mar. 2026
-
By Thursday night, geomagnetic activity weakens and retreats north, making aurora visibility in Iowa unlikely or very limited.—
Cooper Worth,
Des Moines Register,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After an onboard explosion cripples the spacecraft, Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) and his crew are left working through a chain of problems with limited oxygen, power and time.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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The flow around the spacecraft erodes the surface, and particles get ejected as a constant stream.—
Julian Dossett,
Space.com,
24 Mar. 2026
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Trust erodes not just in technology, but in leadership’s ability to steer it responsibly.—
Keith Ferrazzi,
Fortune,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Your discerning side notices details others miss, so name what works and what hurts before proposing adjustments that would fix the latter.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
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Meester is pure unhinged mean girl personified as the Kaylinn of Gloria’s imagination, contextualizing every Insta post in the most outrageous extremities that only hurts her own sense of self.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For its part, Cannes never compromises on a certain artistic standard.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2026
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This is the players telling the world that Schoen’s presence and performance drag the team down and compromises their ability to win.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impairs. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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