IMPACT


Meaning of IMPACT in English

I. (ˌ)im|pakt verb

( -ed/-ing/-s )

Etymology: Latin impactus, past participle of impingere to strike or push at or against — more at impinge

transitive verb

1.

a. : to fix firmly by or as if by packing or wedging

a substance impacted in the upper intestine

the mule lay … impacted in the loam — Ben Johnson

b. : to press together or mix into a clotted, wedged, or tightly bound mass

goblets of clay and drops of sweat impacted into a hot mulch — Time

puns that can impact the scabrous with the sublime in a word — Eleanor Clark

c. : to press down and wedge or force in or under

the golden nuggets or wisdom being impacted in tons of verbosity — Dwight Macdonald

d. : to fill up : crowd , congest

impacts the area with military and defense workers and their families — Tait Trussell

2.

a. : to have an impact upon : make contact with : impinge upon

the images impacting the human retina — T.H.Benton †1975

b. : to drive or transmit with a forceful impact

the critic who … is supposed to impact his messianic visions of jazz perfection to musicians struggling at his feet — Saturday Review

intransitive verb

: to have an impact

the world did not impact upon me until I got to the post office — Christopher Morley

: impinge or make contact especially forcefully

image the impacting ball splashing into the loose mass of surface balls — R.A.Bagnold

how will total war impact on such a poet — Times Literary Supplement

II. ˈimˌpakt noun

( -s )

1.

a. : the act of impinging or striking (as of one body against another or of a stream squarely against a fixed or moving surface)

b. : a forceful contact, collision, or onset : the degree or concentration of force in a collision : the impetus communicated in or as if in a collision

felt the terrific impact of the blow

air rendered incandescent by the vehemence of the impacts of the electrons against its molecules — K.K.Darrow

2. : the force of impression of one thing on another:

a. : the notable ability to arouse and hold attention and interest : the power of impressing

a way of securing a maximum of dramatic impact on the reader — W.M.Frohock

b. : a concentrated force producing change : an especially forceful effect checking or forcing change : an impelling or compelling effect

the impact of modern science and technology upon society as a whole — Harrison Brown

the impact of terror

the environmental impact of industrial pollution

loses the impact of the basic story in a maze of philosophies — Whitney Betts

also : the degree of such force

American youth in the early 1930s felt spiritually paralyzed by the impact of confusing events — J.W.Chase

Synonyms:

brunt , collision , clash , shock , bump , jolt , jar , impingement , percussion , concussion : impact now commonly suggests the driving impetus or momentum in or as if in a collision or the dynamic force in impressing or compelling change

the aunt's home shook at the impact and the windows were smashed — Norman Cousins

the impact of world war on the lives of countless millions — R.H.Jackson

brunt now indicates the major part of the force of an onset, collision, jar, stress, or strain

a number of the leaders had … fled from the persecution, leaving the little people to bear its brunt — Maurice Samuel

the national financial panic was felt throughout the state, but it was Duluth that bore the brunt of the disaster … it was rendered almost totally bankrupt — American Guide Series: Minnesota

collision implies a forceful running together of more or less complex things through accident and with resulting harm, or a sharp opposition or conflict

the collision between two ships in a fog

the buyers and sellers of capital could do almost as they pleased with it, no matter how much damage a collision between them might bring about — F.L.Allen

clash suggests a noisy, metallic striking together, a sharp skirmish or brawl, or a sharp direct variance, opposition, or contrast

roll of cannon and clash of arms — Alfred Tennyson

fishermen from the Michigan mainland … violently opposed further settlement by the Mormons. Clashes occurred at several places — American Guide Series: Michigan

a clash or conflict between his demands and the strict limitations upon the supply

shock may refer to a very forcible onslaught or violent collision literally or figuratively

the shock of the cavalry charge

the discoveries of physical science came as a shock to the general mind of Europe — Laurence Binyon

the shock of physical dislocation effected a very considerable modification of old attitudes — John Dewey

bump indicates a sudden thudding blow, especially one checking forward progress with some force

a bump on the head

the springs were broken by the bad bump during the detour

jolt refers to an abrupt violent blow or movement tending to shake, agitate, or unsettle, or, figuratively, to a shock or major surprise

newly picked fruit being bruised by the jolts of shipment

we have no offensive naval policy … I fear there will be some horrible jolts in the future — F.D.Roosevelt

jar usually refers to some wrenching dislodgment or break in continuity

the bottles were cracked by the jars they underwent in shipment

it may refer to an agitation or shaking up

the fall gave him a jar

impingement now is less likely to indicate violent collision than lighter overlaying or more subtle infringement or penetration

each little impingement of sound struck on her consciousness — Adria Langley

percussion , more common in technical than in general language, may suggest a sharp, purposive tapping or knocking

musical instruments that sound by percussion, as the drum

concussion , which may mean a blow or collision, is now more likely to suggest the shattering effects, including noise, of a collision or explosion, or the stunning, weakening effect of a heavy blow

from the shelter survivors heard the concussions of the bombing raid

suffered a concussion in the collision

III. transitive verb

: to have an adverse effect on

imports of stainless steel products continued to impact … profits — Annual Report Armco Steel Corp.

intransitive verb

: to have an adverse effect

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.