IMPACT


Meaning of IMPACT in English

I. im ‧ pact 1 S3 W2 AC /ˈɪmpækt/ BrE AmE noun

[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: past participle of impingere ; ⇨ ↑ impinge ]

1 . [countable] the effect or influence that an event, situation etc has on someone or something

impact on/upon

We need to assess the impact on climate change.

major/significant/profound etc impact

Higher mortgage rates have already had a major impact on spending.

impact of

an international meeting to consider the environmental impacts of global warming

► Do not say ‘cause an impact’ on something. Say have an impact on something.

2 . [uncountable and countable] the force of one object hitting another:

The force of the impact knocked the breath out of her.

3 . on impact at the moment when one thing hits another:

The plane’s wing was damaged on impact.

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COLLOCATIONS

■ adjectives

▪ big/great

Winning this competition could have a big impact on my life.

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His impact was greater than that of the Beatles.

▪ huge/enormous/massive

Industry has a huge impact on the environment we live in.

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The impact has been enormous on people's daily lives.

▪ small

New technologies have only had a small impact on the overall level of employment.

▪ minimal/negligible (=very small and not important)

The change in government had a minimal impact in the rural areas of the country.

▪ positive (=having a good effect)

Cuts in federal spending should have a positive impact on America’s economic future.

▪ negative/damaging (=having a bad effect)

The expansion of the airport would have a negative impact on the environment.

▪ disastrous (=a very bad effect)

His leg injury had a disastrous impact on his career as a footballer.

▪ a major/significant impact (=important)

The war had a major impact on French domestic politics.

▪ a profound impact (=very important)

Population growth has a profound impact on world food demand.

▪ an adverse impact formal (=a bad effect)

The loss of forests has had an adverse impact on bird populations.

▪ a real impact informal (=a big impact)

The film made a real impact on cinema audiences.

▪ a lasting impact (=one that lasts for a long time)

The arrival of the railways made a lasting impact on many sectors of the economy.

▪ a long-term impact

Scientists are calculating the long-term impact of the floods.

▪ a short-term/immediate impact

A military attack may only have a short-term impact on terrorist activity.

▪ an emotional/psychological impact

Their mother’s death had a huge emotional impact on the children.

▪ an economic impact

It is difficult to measure the economic impact of the war.

▪ an environmental impact

The environmental impact of the construction project is being investigated.

▪ the full impact of something

South Wales felt the full impact of the recession.

▪ the potential/likely impact

He’s studying the potential impact of climate change.

■ verbs

▪ have an impact

New technology has had a massive impact on our lives.

▪ make an impact

The product quickly made an impact on the market.

▪ feel the impact of something

The industry has felt the impact of rising fuel prices.

▪ reduce/lessen/soften the impact of something (=make it less severe or unpleasant)

The chemical industry is looking at ways to reduce its impact on the environment.

▪ lose impact (=have less effect)

The picture loses impact when it is reduced in size.

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THESAURUS

▪ effect a change that is caused by an event, action etc:

The people in this area are still suffering from the effects of the famine.

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The treatment had little or no effect.

▪ impact an effect that happens as a result of something important, especially a big and permanent effect:

Changes in technology have had a massive impact on the way we work.

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the environmental impact of industrial activity

▪ influence the effect that something has on people’s opinions or behaviour, or on how something develops:

American television has had a big influence on popular culture in the west.

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His ideas had a lot of influence at the time.

▪ side effect an unwanted and unplanned effect that something has – used especially about drugs and medical treatment:

Common side effects of the drug may include headaches and muscle pains.

▪ after-effects British English , aftereffects American English bad effects that continue for a long time after the thing that caused them:

A traumatic experience can have severe psychological after-effects.

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the after-effects of the war

▪ repercussions /ˌriːpəˈkʌʃ ə ns $ -pər-// the effects that happen later as a result of an event or decision, especially a range of effects that continue for a long time:

The scandal could have serious repercussions for her career.

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The judge’s decision is likely to have important repercussions for future cases of this kind.

▪ a knock-on effect British English used when something has an effect on something, which then has an effect on something else:

Higher oil prices have a knock-on effect on other fuels.

▪ footprint the effect that human activities have on the environment, caused by using up its natural resources, pollution, waste etc:

Businesses all over the world must attempt to reduce their environmental footprint.

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The house has a low carbon footprint (=it uses very little energy from carbon and therefore is good for the environment) .

II. im ‧ pact 2 AC /ɪmˈpækt/ BrE AmE verb [intransitive and transitive] especially American English

to have an important or noticeable effect on someone or something

impact on/upon

The Food Safety Act will progressively impact on the way food businesses operate.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.