Standard Lemma guide

impact

noun · verb · 14 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • imʹpăkt
  • /ˈɪmpækt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ækt
  • im-păktʹ
  • /ɪmˈpækt/
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 M P AE1 K T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: IH1 M P AE0 K T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The striking of one body against another; collision.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The force or energy of a collision of two objects.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • The hatchet cut the wood on impact.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A forced impinging.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: medicine, sciences

Examples

  • His spine had an impingement; L4 and L5 made impact, which caused numbness in his leg.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A significant or strong influence or effect.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, figuratively, proscribed, uncountable

Examples

  • His friend's opinion had an impact on his decision.
  • Our choice of concrete will have a tremendous impact on the building's mechanical performance.
  • December 7, 1941, November 22, 1963, and September 11, 2001 had an impact on many throughout the world.
  • The French revolution, the Russian revolution, and the Iranian revolution had an impact on many throughout the world.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To collide or strike, the act of impinging.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • When the hammer impacts the nail, it bends.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To compress; to compact; to press into something or pack together.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • The footprints of birds do not impact the soil in the way those of dinosaurs do.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To significantly or strongly influence or affect; to have an impact on.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, proscribed, transitive

Examples

  • I can make the changes, but it will impact the schedule.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To stamp or impress onto something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: rare, transitive

Examples

  • Ideas impacted on the mind.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

influencing strongly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they resented the impingement of American values on European culture

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: impingement, encroachment

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: influence

10

noun

Meaning 10

the violent interaction of individuals or groups entering into combat

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the armies met in the shock of battle

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: shock

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: fight, fighting, combat, scrap

11

noun

Meaning 11

the striking of one body against another

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: contact, impinging, striking

Narrower terms: blow, bump, slam

12

noun

Meaning 12

a forceful consequence; a strong effect

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the book had an important impact on my thinking
  • the book packs a wallop

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: wallop

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: consequence, effect, outcome, result, event, issue, upshot

13

verb

Meaning 13

have an effect upon

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Will the new rules affect me?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: affect, bear upon, bear on, touch on, touch

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change, alter, modify

Narrower terms: strike a blow, repercuss, tell on, redound, stimulate, excite, process, treat, hydrolize, hydrolise, tinge, color, colour, distort, queer, expose, scupper, endanger, peril, hit, strike, subject, trouble, put out, inconvenience, disoblige, discommode, incommode, bother, influence, act upon, work, slam-dunk

14

verb

Meaning 14

press or wedge together; pack together

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: wedge, squeeze, force

History

Etymology

Attested since the 17th century, from Latin impāctus.

Across languages

Translations

144 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: сблъскване (sblǎskvane) — a collision
  • Finnish: törmäys — a collision
  • French: impact — a collision
  • French: choc — a collision
  • French: collision — a collision
  • German: Aufprall — a collision
  • German: Einschlag — a collision
  • German: Aufschlag — a collision
  • Greek: πρόσκρουση (próskrousi) — a collision
  • Hungarian: ütközés — a collision
  • Hungarian: becsapódás — a collision
  • Italian: impatto — a collision
  • Italian: collisione — a collision
  • Latin: impulsus — a collision
  • Latin: conflictus — a collision
  • Polish: impakt — a collision
  • Polish: zderzenie — a collision
  • Portuguese: impacto — a collision
  • Portuguese: impacte — a collision
  • Romanian: șoc — a collision
  • Romanian: impact — a collision
  • Romanian: coliziune — a collision
  • Russian: столкнове́ние (stolknovénije) — a collision
  • Slovak: náraz — a collision
  • Slovak: dopad — a collision
  • Slovak: úder — a collision
  • Ukrainian: зі́ткнення (zítknennja) — a collision
  • Vietnamese: va chạm — a collision
  • Welsh: gwrthdrawiad — a collision
  • Dutch: inslag — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Dutch: botsing — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Finnish: iskuvaikutus — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Finnish: törmäys — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Finnish: isku — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • French: impact — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • German: Einschlag — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • German: Aufprall — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • German: Aufschlag — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Hungarian: behatás — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Hungarian: hatás — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Italian: impatto — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Latin: ictus — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Norwegian: treffvirkning — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Polish: uderzenie — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Portuguese: impacto — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Portuguese: impacte — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Russian: уда́р (udár) — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Russian: толчо́к (tolčók) — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Russian: сотрясе́ние (sotrjasénije) — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Slovak: zrážka — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Slovak: náraz — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Slovak: úder — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Spanish: impacto — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Turkish: çarpma — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Ukrainian: удар (udar) — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • Welsh: gwrthdaro — the force or energy of a collision of two objects
  • German: Belastung — a forced impinging
  • German: Stoß — a forced impinging
  • German: Druck — a forced impinging
  • Italian: impatto — a forced impinging
  • Portuguese: impacto — a forced impinging
  • Spanish: impacto — a forced impinging
  • Turkish: vuruş — a forced impinging
  • Welsh: cywasgiad — a forced impinging
  • Bulgarian: въздействие (vǎzdejstvie) — a significant or strong influence
  • Catalan: impacte — a significant or strong influence
  • Czech: dopad — a significant or strong influence
  • Danish: indvirkning — a significant or strong influence
  • Dutch: schokeffect — a significant or strong influence
  • Finnish: vaikutus — a significant or strong influence
  • French: impact — a significant or strong influence
  • Galician: impacto — a significant or strong influence
  • German: Auswirkung — a significant or strong influence
  • German: Einwirkung — a significant or strong influence
  • German: Einfluss — a significant or strong influence
  • German: Beeinflussung — a significant or strong influence
  • Ancient Greek: ἔμπτωσις (émptōsis) — a significant or strong influence
  • Hungarian: befolyás — a significant or strong influence
  • Irish: tionchar — a significant or strong influence
  • Italian: impatto — a significant or strong influence
  • Italian: effetto — a significant or strong influence
  • Italian: influenza — a significant or strong influence
  • Italian: influsso — a significant or strong influence
  • Macedonian: влија́ние (vlijánie) — a significant or strong influence
  • Macedonian: дејству́вање (dejstvúvanje) — a significant or strong influence
  • Norwegian: virkning — a significant or strong influence
  • Occitan: impacte — a significant or strong influence
  • Polish: impakt — a significant or strong influence
  • Polish: wpływ — a significant or strong influence
  • Portuguese: impacto — a significant or strong influence
  • Russian: возде́йствие (vozdéjstvije) — a significant or strong influence
  • Russian: влия́ние (vlijánije) — a significant or strong influence
  • Slovak: dopad — a significant or strong influence
  • Slovak: dôsledok — a significant or strong influence
  • Spanish: impacto — a significant or strong influence
  • Spanish: efecto — a significant or strong influence
  • Spanish: consecuencia — a significant or strong influence
  • Swedish: inverkan — a significant or strong influence
  • Turkish: etki — a significant or strong influence
  • Turkish: tesir — a significant or strong influence
  • Ukrainian: вплив (vplyv) — a significant or strong influence
  • Welsh: dylanwad — a significant or strong influence
  • Bulgarian: удрям (udrjam) — to collide or strike
  • Bulgarian: сблъсквам се (sblǎskvam se) — to collide or strike
  • Catalan: impactar — to collide or strike
  • Finnish: törmätä — to collide or strike
  • Finnish: iskeytyä — to collide or strike
  • Finnish: iskeä — to collide or strike
  • German: einschlagen — to collide or strike
  • German: zusammenstossen — to collide or strike
  • German: kollidieren — to collide or strike
  • Greek: προσκρούω (proskroúo) — to collide or strike
  • Hungarian: ütközik — to collide or strike
  • Italian: colpire — to collide or strike
  • Italian: collidere — to collide or strike
  • Polish: uderzać — to collide or strike
  • Polish: zderzać — to collide or strike
  • Spanish: impactar — to collide or strike
  • Bulgarian: стягам (stjagam) — to compress
  • Bulgarian: натъпквам (natǎpkvam) — to compress
  • Dutch: samenpersen — to compress
  • Finnish: puristaa kokoon — to compress
  • German: zusammenpressen — to compress
  • Hungarian: összenyomódik — to compress
  • Italian: comprimere — to compress
  • Polish: ściskać — to compress
  • Bulgarian: въздействам (vǎzdejstvam) — to influence
  • Catalan: impactar — to influence
  • Dutch: inwerken — to influence
  • Dutch: beïnvloeden — to influence
  • Finnish: vaikuttaa — to influence
  • French: affecter — to influence
  • French: toucher — to influence
  • German: beeinflussen — to influence
  • German: einwirken — to influence
  • German: beeinträchtigen — to influence
  • Hungarian: befolyásol — to influence
  • Italian: impattare — to influence
  • Italian: incidere — to influence
  • Italian: influenzare — to influence
  • Māori: whakaaweawe — to influence
  • Polish: wpływać — to influence
  • Spanish: incidir — to influence
  • Spanish: impactar — to influence
Real reading context

impact in complete knowledge articles

Impact winter Science & nature · Advanced · 24 uses Andrew Everett Everyday life · Advanced · 17 uses Impact Wrestling Sacrifice (2020) Arts & music · Challenging · 14 uses Bash at the Brewery 2 Places & the world · Challenging · 12 uses Rey Fénix People & society · Challenging · 12 uses Missile Impact Location System Science & nature · Advanced · 9 uses Sunrise Powerlink Places & the world · Advanced · 9 uses Tharsis quadrangle Science & nature · Developing · 9 uses