impact
1 of 2noun
im·pact ˈim-ˌpakt 
plural impacts
1
a
: an impinging or striking especially of one body against another
b
: a forceful contact or onset
also : the impetus communicated in or as if in such a contact
2
: 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 2verb
im·pact im-ˈpakt
impacted; impacting; impacts
transitive verb
1
a
: to have a direct effect or impact on : impinge on
b
: to strike forcefully
also : to cause to strike forcefully
2
a
: to fix firmly by or as if by packing or wedging
b
: to press together
intransitive verb
1
: to have an impact —often used with on
2
: 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.
Synonyms
Noun
- bump
- collision
- concussion
- crash
- impingement
- jar
- jolt
- jounce
- kick
- shock
- slam
- smash
- strike
- wallop
Verb
- affect
- impress
- influence
- move
- reach
- strike
- sway
- tell (on)
- touch
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
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
Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 9 Sep. 2022 Today, the Supreme Court's impact on midterm elections, plus a suspect remains at large in Canada's stabbing massacre, and more. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 8 Sep. 2022 While the new legislation didn't retroactively alter the order (sorry, Princess Anne), one royal in particular experienced an immediate impact: Princess Charlotte. Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 8 Sep. 2022 The results contradict two previous meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials conducted by Martineau and his colleagues that did find a significant, albeit small, protective impact against catching respiratory illnesses. Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 7 Sep. 2022 That’s kind of like the main point of the [5K Walk and Bike] is to raise awareness and try to enhance the impact that the house has, who [is] sponsoring the walk... Deidre Montague, Hartford Courant, 7 Sep. 2022 The conference takes place Nov. 9, with panels on subjects such as the economic and community impact of sports in Los Angeles, the changing landscape of sports media, and the increasing prominence of athletes in the business world. Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2022 But to this point, there’s simply not enough impact on that end. Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 6 Sep. 2022 Or many don’t understand the impact on single parents, working mothers, those who lost jobs, and those who faced a divorce or death or a significant change in the family dynamic. Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 1 Sep. 2022 Mariah Espada, Time, 9 Sep. 2022 Kim Kalosky, a resource specialist with the Forest Preserves of Cook County, worries that the arrival of this invasive species will impact quality of life in other ways, too. Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2022 The changes will also impact vegetation and freshwater resources, raising the risk of armed conflict, the report said. Karina Tsui, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2022 Research has shown that SCD can impact the individual’s mental (anxiety) and physical health (fatigue) significantly, but many patients have found a way to thrive, even when their complex chronic illness tries to disrupt their career. Wunmi Bakare, Essence, 6 Sep. 2022 Common medications taken by seniors, particularly some blood pressure medications, can also impact the body’s ability to cool itself down, Hendrix added. Carolyn Guniss, Orlando Sentinel, 5 Sep. 2022 How Auburn handles the quarterback position will immensely impact how the 2022 season plays out. al, 2 Sep. 2022 Nazanin Boniadi, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Ismael Cruz Cordova and Sophia Nomvete, among other actors, all play major characters whose actions impact the war against Sauron. Scottie Andrew, CNN, 2 Sep. 2022 The developers behind city-builder Anno 2070 weren't willing to let outdated servers impact their game, though. Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 1 Sep. 2022 See More
Noun
And the documentary's crescendo shows the impact she's had on young fans around the globe, by following her dreams. Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 9 Sep. 2022 Today, the Supreme Court's impact on midterm elections, plus a suspect remains at large in Canada's stabbing massacre, and more. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 8 Sep. 2022 While the new legislation didn't retroactively alter the order (sorry, Princess Anne), one royal in particular experienced an immediate impact: Princess Charlotte. Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 8 Sep. 2022 The results contradict two previous meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials conducted by Martineau and his colleagues that did find a significant, albeit small, protective impact against catching respiratory illnesses. Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 7 Sep. 2022 That’s kind of like the main point of the [5K Walk and Bike] is to raise awareness and try to enhance the impact that the house has, who [is] sponsoring the walk... Deidre Montague, Hartford Courant, 7 Sep. 2022 The conference takes place Nov. 9, with panels on subjects such as the economic and community impact of sports in Los Angeles, the changing landscape of sports media, and the increasing prominence of athletes in the business world. Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2022 But to this point, there’s simply not enough impact on that end. Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 6 Sep. 2022 Or many don’t understand the impact on single parents, working mothers, those who lost jobs, and those who faced a divorce or death or a significant change in the family dynamic. Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 1 Sep. 2022 Verb
Rangel believes taking steps in your personal life like yoga and thought work can drastically impact your state of mind during work hours. Mariah Espada, Time, 9 Sep. 2022 Kim Kalosky, a resource specialist with the Forest Preserves of Cook County, worries that the arrival of this invasive species will impact quality of life in other ways, too. Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2022 The changes will also impact vegetation and freshwater resources, raising the risk of armed conflict, the report said. Karina Tsui, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2022 Research has shown that SCD can impact the individual’s mental (anxiety) and physical health (fatigue) significantly, but many patients have found a way to thrive, even when their complex chronic illness tries to disrupt their career. Wunmi Bakare, Essence, 6 Sep. 2022 Common medications taken by seniors, particularly some blood pressure medications, can also impact the body’s ability to cool itself down, Hendrix added. Carolyn Guniss, Orlando Sentinel, 5 Sep. 2022 How Auburn handles the quarterback position will immensely impact how the 2022 season plays out. al, 2 Sep. 2022 Nazanin Boniadi, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Ismael Cruz Cordova and Sophia Nomvete, among other actors, all play major characters whose actions impact the war against Sauron. Scottie Andrew, CNN, 2 Sep. 2022 The developers behind city-builder Anno 2070 weren't willing to let outdated servers impact their game, though. Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 1 Sep. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Latin impactus, past participle of impingere to push against — more at impinge
First Known Use
Noun
1781, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1601, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a
Phrases Containing impact
Kids Definition
impact 1 of 2
noun
im·pact ˈim-ˌpakt
1
: a striking of one body against another : collision
The meteor's impact left a crater.
2
: a strong effect
He warned of the economic impact.
impact
2 of 2verb
im·pact im-ˈpakt
impacted; impacting
1
: to have a strong and often bad effect on
This change will impact all schools.
2
: to hit with great force
impacting
verb
1
as in affecting
to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response the tragic loss of his father impacted the boy for the rest of his life Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- affecting
- influencing
- impressing
- touching
- striking
- reaching
- interesting
- swaying
- involving
- inspiring
- moving
- concerning
- bothering
- attracting
- getting to
- plaguing
- disturbing
- fascinating
- penetrating
- dazzling
- afflicting
- troubling
- worrying
- transporting
- biasing
- telling (on)
- entrancing
- carrying away
- upsetting
- engaging
- ravishing
- perturbing
- harassing
- stirring
- distressing
- enchanting
- enthralling
- stressing
- trying
- discomforting
- enrapturing
- coloring
- disquieting
- biassing
- piercing
- smiting
- captivating
- pestering
- harrying
- charming
- agitating
- alluring
- wringing
- discomposing
- flustering
- bewitching
- straining
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- tiring
- boring
- jading
- wearying
- palling
- underwhelming
2
as in colliding
to come into usually forceful contact with something the damage sustained when a car going 40 miles an hour impacts with a brick wall Synonyms & Similar Words
- colliding
- bumping
- slamming
- banging
- crashing
- smashing
- hitting
- impinging
- ramming
- knocking
- striking
- bashing
- swiping
- thudding
- bouncing
- ricocheting
- touching
- contacting
- scraping
- glancing
- sweeping
- pushing
- landing
- rebounding
- skipping
- ricochetting
- grazing
- brushing
- nudging
- skimming
- shaving
- caroming
- kissing
- bulldozing
- jostling
- muscling
- clunking
- pressing
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- missing
- skirting
3
as in embedding
to set solidly in or as if in surrounding matter the bullet was found impacted in the police officer's protective vest Synonyms & Similar Words
- embedding
- rooting
- lodging
- entrenching
- engraining
- fixing
- ingraining
- imbedding
- implanting
- placing
- putting
- infusing
- imbuing
- bedding
- sticking
- enrooting
- establishing
- instilling
- intrenching
- settling
- beating (into)
- driving (into)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- eliminating
- eradicating
- dislodging
- uprooting
- rooting (out)
- removing
- expelling
- ejecting
- disconnecting
- detaching
- disengaging