impact

English

Etymology

Category:English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European#IMPACTCategory:English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *peh₂ǵ-#IMPACT

Attested since the 17th century, from LatinCategory:English terms derived from Latin#IMPACT impāctus.

Pronunciation

Noun

impact (countable and uncountable, plural impacts)Category:English lemmas#IMPACTCategory:English nouns#IMPACTCategory:English uncountable nouns#IMPACTCategory:English countable nouns#IMPACTCategory:English countable nouns#IMPACTCategory:English entries with incorrect language header#IMPACTCategory:Pages with entries#IMPACTCategory:Pages with 4 entries#IMPACT

  1. The striking of one body against another; collision.
  2. The force or energy of a collision of two objects.
    The hatchet cut the wood on impact.Category:English terms with usage examples#IMPACT
  3. (chiefly medicineCategory:en:Medicine#IMPACT) A forced impinging.
    His spine had an impingement; L4 and L5 made impact, which caused numbness in his leg.Category:English terms with usage examples#IMPACT
  4. (figurative, proscribedCategory:English proscribed terms#IMPACT) A significant or strong influence or effect.
    His friend's opinion had an impact on his decision.Category:English terms with usage examples#IMPACT
    Our choice of concrete will have a tremendous impact on the building's mechanical performance.Category:English terms with usage examples#IMPACT
    December 7, 1941, November 22, 1963, and September 11, 2001 had an impact on many throughout the world.Category:English terms with usage examples#IMPACT
    The French revolution, the Russian revolution, and the Iranian revolution had an impact on many throughout the world.Category:English terms with usage examples#IMPACT

Usage notes

  • The adposition generally used with "impact" is "on" (such as in last example in section above)
  • There are some who find the figurative noun sense problematic, with a low threshold for labeling such use as overuse (cliché). In defensive editing, the solution is to replace the figurative noun sense with effect and the verb sense with affect, which nearly always produces an acceptable result. (Rarely, a phrase such as "the impact of late effects" is better stetted to avoid "the effect of [...] effects".)

Synonyms

Derived terms

Collocations

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

impact (third-person singular simple present impacts, present participle impacting, simple past and past participle impacted)Category:English lemmas#IMPACTCategory:English verbs#IMPACTCategory:English entries with incorrect language header#IMPACTCategory:Pages with entries#IMPACTCategory:Pages with 4 entries#IMPACT

  1. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#IMPACT) To collide or strike, the act of impinging.
    When the hammer impacts the nail, it bends.Category:English terms with usage examples#IMPACT
    • 2014 December 1, Mike Williams, “Microbullet hits confirm graphene’s strength”, in Rice University:
      As a microbullet impacts the graphene, the diameter of the cone it creates – determined by later examination of the petals – provides a way to measure how much energy the graphene absorbs before breaking.
      Category:English terms with quotations#IMPACT
  2. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#IMPACT) To compress; to compact; to press into something or pack together.
    The footprints of birds do not impact the soil in the way those of dinosaurs do.Category:English terms with usage examples#IMPACT
  3. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#IMPACT, figurative, proscribedCategory:English proscribed terms#IMPACT) To significantly or strongly influence or affect; to have an impact on.
    I can make the changes, but it will impact the schedule.Category:English terms with usage examples#IMPACT
  4. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#IMPACT, rareCategory:English terms with rare senses#IMPACT) To stamp or impress onto something.

Usage notes

Although most verbification instances in English draw no prescriptive attention, some authorities object to the verb sense of impact meaning "to significantly or strongly influence or affect; to have an impact on". To avoid controversy, one can replace the verb sense with affect, which nearly always produces an acceptable result. See also the usage note for the noun sense.

Derived terms

Translations

Category:English heteronyms#IMPACT

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from EnglishCategory:Dutch terms borrowed from English#IMPACTCategory:Dutch terms derived from English#IMPACT impact.

Pronunciation

Noun

impact m (plural impacts, no diminutive)Category:Dutch lemmas#IMPACTCategory:Dutch nouns#IMPACTCategory:Dutch nouns with plural in -s#IMPACTCategory:Dutch entries with incorrect language header#IMPACTCategory:Dutch masculine nouns#IMPACTCategory:Pages with entries#IMPACTCategory:Pages with 4 entries#IMPACT

  1. impact (strong influence or effect)
    Synonyms: invloed, effect

Derived terms

French

Etymology

From LatinCategory:French terms derived from Latin#IMPACTCategory:French undefined derivations#IMPACT, see above.

Pronunciation

Noun

impact m (plural impacts)Category:French lemmas#IMPACTCategory:French nouns#IMPACTCategory:French countable nouns#IMPACTCategory:French entries with incorrect language header#IMPACTCategory:French masculine nouns#IMPACTCategory:Pages with entries#IMPACTCategory:Pages with 4 entries#IMPACT

  1. (literally or figuratively) impact

Further reading

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from FrenchCategory:Romanian terms borrowed from French#IMPACTCategory:Romanian terms derived from French#IMPACT impact, from LatinCategory:Romanian terms derived from Latin#IMPACT impactus.

Noun

impact n (plural impacturi)Category:Romanian lemmas#IMPACTCategory:Romanian nouns#IMPACTCategory:Romanian countable nouns#IMPACTCategory:Romanian entries with incorrect language header#IMPACTCategory:Romanian neuter nouns#IMPACTCategory:Pages with entries#IMPACTCategory:Pages with 4 entries#IMPACT

  1. impact

Declension

Category:Dutch lemmas Category:Dutch masculine nouns Category:Dutch nouns Category:Dutch nouns with plural in -s Category:Dutch terms borrowed from English Category:Dutch terms derived from English Category:Dutch terms with IPA pronunciation Category:Dutch terms with audio pronunciation Category:English 2-syllable words Category:English countable nouns Category:English heteronyms Category:English lemmas Category:English nouns Category:English proscribed terms Category:English terms derived from Latin Category:English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European Category:English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *peh₂ǵ- Category:English terms with IPA pronunciation Category:English terms with audio pronunciation Category:English terms with quotations Category:English terms with rare senses Category:English terms with usage examples Category:English transitive verbs Category:English uncountable nouns Category:English verbs Category:Entries with translation boxes Category:French 2-syllable words Category:French countable nouns Category:French lemmas Category:French masculine nouns Category:French nouns Category:French terms derived from Latin Category:French terms with IPA pronunciation Category:French terms with audio pronunciation Category:French undefined derivations Category:Pages with 4 entries Category:Pages with entries Category:Requests for review of Interlingua translations Category:Requests for translations into Lao Category:Requests for translations into Thai Category:Rhymes:English/ækt Category:Rhymes:English/ækt/2 syllables Category:Romanian countable nouns Category:Romanian lemmas Category:Romanian neuter nouns Category:Romanian nouns Category:Romanian terms borrowed from French Category:Romanian terms derived from French Category:Romanian terms derived from Latin Category:Terms with Ancient Greek translations Category:Terms with Bulgarian translations Category:Terms with Catalan translations Category:Terms with Czech translations Category:Terms with Danish translations Category:Terms with Dutch translations Category:Terms with Finnish translations Category:Terms with French translations Category:Terms with Galician translations Category:Terms with German translations Category:Terms with Greek translations Category:Terms with Hungarian translations Category:Terms with Interlingua translations Category:Terms with Irish translations Category:Terms with Italian translations Category:Terms with Latin translations Category:Terms with Macedonian translations Category:Terms with Māori translations Category:Terms with Norwegian translations Category:Terms with Occitan translations Category:Terms with Polish translations Category:Terms with Portuguese translations Category:Terms with Romanian translations Category:Terms with Russian translations Category:Terms with Slovak translations Category:Terms with Spanish translations Category:Terms with Swedish translations Category:Terms with Turkish translations Category:Terms with Ukrainian translations Category:Terms with Vietnamese translations Category:Terms with Welsh translations Category:en:Medicine