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
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
Ten percent impairs performance and leaves you dizzy and faint.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 25 Sep. 2025
The amendment should define specific criteria for incapacity, including mental illness, cognitive decline, substance abuse, or any condition that substantially impairs judgment or decision-making capacity.
—Lynn Schmidt, Twin Cities, 19 Sep. 2025
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
Ten percent impairs performance and leaves you dizzy and faint.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 25 Sep. 2025
The amendment should define specific criteria for incapacity, including mental illness, cognitive decline, substance abuse, or any condition that substantially impairs judgment or decision-making capacity.
—Lynn Schmidt, Twin Cities, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impairs
Verb
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For people with celiac disease, gluten triggers an autoimmune response that damages the small intestine.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
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Scientists think that chronic inflammation damages the brain and increases the risk of dementia.—
Dana G. Smith,
New York Times,
5 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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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
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Valuing a project at cost of production rather than value in an arm’s length sale—common in all economic statistics—especially mars Chinese data.—
Bill Conerly,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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An overreliance on tools weakens our civilization (and saps the film’s dramatic thrills).—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
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Ignoring this reality weakens any serious climate plan.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
9 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
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An analysis published by CX Today found that when AI use is hidden, trust erodes quickly, even when outcomes are accurate.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
2 Jan. 2026
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Understanding that difference can prevent endless money conflicts because frugality builds a meaningful life, while cheapness slowly erodes joy.—
Brian Page,
CNBC,
26 Dec. 2025
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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Any behavior that compromises the safety of our customers or the integrity of our operations is not tolerated.—
Olivia Young,
CBS News,
24 Dec. 2025
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The report also highlights the rise of personal wallet compromises.—
Carlos Garcia,
Fortune,
18 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impairs. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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