impact

Forms

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.
3.A forced impinging.
- His spine had an impingement; L4 and L5 made impact, which caused numbness in his leg.
4.A significant or strong influence or effect.
- 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.
- One way to reduce the environmental impact of meat eating is to make livestock more productive.

1.To collide or strike, the act of impinging.
- When the hammer impacts the nail, it bends.
- 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.
2.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.
3.To significantly or strongly influence or affect; to have an impact on.
- I can make the changes, but it will impact the schedule.

Common· #914

Attested since the 17th century

From Latin impāctus.