impact

1 of 2

noun

im·pact ˈim-ˌpakt

plural impacts

Synonyms of impact next

: an impinging or striking especially of one body against another

: a forceful contact or onset

also : the impetus communicated in or as if in such a contact

: the force of impression of one thing on another : a significant or major effect

the impact of science on our society

a study outlining the potential environmental impacts of the construction project

impact

2 of 2

verb

im·pact im-ˈpakt

impacted; impacting; impacts

transitive verb

: to have a direct effect or impact on : impinge on

: to strike forcefully

also : to cause to strike forcefully

: to fix firmly by or as if by packing or wedging

: to press together

intransitive verb

: to have an impact

—often used with on

: to impinge or make contact especially forcefully

Did you know?

Is impact a verb?

You may occasionally run into claims that impact is not a verb, or that it is somehow ill-suited to a role in this part of speech. Not only is that not the case, but the verb form of impact is much older than the noun form. It is possible that the word started attracting more displeasure when it began being widely used in a figurative sense as a transitive verb ("we expect the recession to impact the company"). The word is certainly a verb, although before using it in this manner in writing it is worth considering your audience, and whether members of it are likely to consider this use problematic.

Choose the Right Synonym for impact

impact, collision, shock, concussion mean a forceful, even violent contact between two or more things.

impact may be used to imply contact between two things, at least one of which is impelled toward the other.

the glass shattered on impact with the floor

collision implies the coming together of two or more things with such force that both or all are damaged or their progress is severely impeded.

the collision damaged the vehicle

shock often denotes the effect produced by a collision and carries the suggestion of something that strikes or hits with force.

the shock of falling rocks

concussion when not in technical use, often suggests the shattering, disrupting, or weakening effects of a collision, explosion, or blow.

bystanders felt the concussion of the blast

Example Sentences

Noun No one could have survived such an impact. These warnings have been heard so often that they have lost their impact. The book had a huge impact when it first came out. We need to be concerned about the environmental impacts of all this construction. She expects to make an immediate impact at work. Verb No one is sure how these changes will impact our relations with other countries. Both events negatively impacted her life. The tax increase will impact low-income families the most. The poor economy is impacting on small businesses. A crater was formed at the point where the meteor impacted the planet's surface. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Blazers have little cap space to make a significant addition, but Cronin was under pressure to pull off an impact trade to upgrade the talent on the roster to appease a frustrated Lillard, who turns 33 in two weeks. —

Afentres, oregonlive, 1 July 2023 Amid strong opposition to the project by some tribes and others, the Forest Service withdrew Resolution’s original environmental impact statement for Oak Flat two years ago for additional consultations. —

Anita Snow, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 June 2023 Analyze laws, policies and ordinances from the local to the state level for racial impact prior to passage and after implementation. —

Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2023 Another notable patch includes CVE-2023-20105, which has a CVSS score of 9.6 and is rated as having a critical impact. —

Kate O'Flaherty, WIRED, 30 June 2023 Titus and his command staff sat down exclusively with the Post-Tribune to discuss the impact of the ISP partnership and where the department is headed under his leadership. —

Carrie Napoleon, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2023 Prior to being executive vp, English served as vp impact and operations for eight months and as the head of the office of representation, inclusion and equity for a year. —

Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 June 2023 People of color will feel impact of Supreme Court's decisions Friday’s opinion gutting mass student loan debt forgiveness is the second in as many days that hits people of color especially hard. —

John Fritze, USA TODAY, 30 June 2023 The driving force behind this endeavor is the earnest desire to bring the benefits of hemp to a wider audience and make a positive impact on their well-being. —

Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 29 June 2023

Verb

The short of it: Rampant inflation, global supply issues, and unpredictable weather and disease all impact the price fluctuations. —

Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 20 June 2023 Searches for the actor's whereabouts have been impacted by significant amounts of inclement weather across the region in the months following his disappearance. —

Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 20 June 2023 Amazon delivery is not impacted on Juneteenth, a company spokesperson told USA TODAY. —

Caleb Wiegandt, The Courier-Journal, 19 June 2023 The Record from Recorded Future News, a publication of cybersecurity firm Recorded Future, first reported that USDA may be impacted by the hack. —

Sean Lyngaas, CNN, 17 June 2023 Each Oura Ring is offered in a variety of popular shades that also impact its price; these finishes are gold, silver, black and stealth (matte black) and rose gold. —

Olivia Lipski, Good Housekeeping, 16 June 2023 Some diseases that impact caladiums include fungal pathogens that infect the tubers, such as Rhizoctonia and Pythium species. —

Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 15 June 2023 Nearly all of the artists THR spoke with say that their careers and the entertainment industry as a whole in their cities had yet to be significantly impacted by studios or jobs moving out of their states. —

Hadley Meares, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 June 2023 Disney recently reached its 7,000 layoffs goal, handing out notices to the remaining employees impacted in its third round of job cuts ahead of the Memorial Day holiday weekend. —

Manori Ravindran, Variety, 15 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'impact.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.