as in colliding
to come into usually forceful contact with something
hail was noisily impinging upon the car's exterior
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Recent Examples of impinging
In principle, besides fluctuating stars transients can be associated with other things, too, such as extreme space weather events impinging on the upper atmosphere, sunlight glinting off reflective objects near Earth, as well as flaws in the telescope or the imaging process.
—
Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2025
Workers aren’t necessarily worried about AI impinging on their jobs – a large majority, 80%, view AI technologies, including gen AI, as more of an opportunity than a threat.
—Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Democrats are apoplectic, accusing Trump of impinging on the Fed’s independence.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 26 Aug. 2025
Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2025
Workers aren’t necessarily worried about AI impinging on their jobs – a large majority, 80%, view AI technologies, including gen AI, as more of an opportunity than a threat.
—Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Democrats are apoplectic, accusing Trump of impinging on the Fed’s independence.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impinging
Verb
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Colorado is heading into a rare week where fire danger, damaging winds and winter storms are all colliding, creating hazards across nearly every part of the state at different times.—
Callie Zanandrie,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
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Once stationary, deactivate all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights remain unlit, minimizing the chance of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There’s a lot of serendipity and people bumping into one another.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
18 Feb. 2026
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The top eight skiers advanced to the medal final and both Kauf and Anthony got higher scores, bumping Giaccio, 25, out of contention into ninth place.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Allred has been criticized in some circles for publicly slamming Talarico.—
Gromer Jeffers Jr,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Feb. 2026
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The Motion Picture Association and, the Human Artistry Campaign issued statements last week slamming ByteDance.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And Peters has been banging his head on his desk trying to get Congress to use it.—
Josh Tyrangiel,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
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Agitators were seen blowing whistles, banging pots and pans, shaking metal barricades and striking the rails set up outside the property.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In August 2024, students stormed her official residence, smashing walls and looting its contents, forcing her to flee into neighboring India and exile.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
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Football in particular was hard to understand, with plays that last only seconds and the jarring violence of giant men smashing into each other.—
Erendira Rendon,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But on the last and third day of the trip, an avalanche came crashing down, killing three guides and five guests, and leaving six survivors.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
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In the meantime, massages can be arranged in your room or on your terrace, which is hardly a compromise—especially since the crashing waves set the soundtrack for every inch of this property.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Two Pittsburgh men are now charged in Ohio after a drug investigation ended with one of them ramming multiple police vehicles.—
Patrick Damp,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2026
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He was literally known for ramming through players at the goal line.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Buzelis was still suspended midair when Collin Sexton backpedaled underneath the forward, knocking his legs backward to send the younger player crashing to the floor, stomach-first.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
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That's when Palmer punched Simpson in the mouth, knocking him to the floor, court records say.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impinging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impinging. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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