influencenoun [ C or U ]
uk/ˈɪn.flu.əns/us/ˈɪn.flu.əns/B2 the power to have an effect on people or things, or a person or thing that is able to do this:
Helen's a bad/good influence on him.
He has a huge amount of influence over the city council.
Christopher hoped to exert his influence to make them change their minds.
At the time she was under the influence of her father.
More examples
- My grandmother had a strong influence on my early childhood.
- We live in an increasingly secular society, in which religion has less and less influence on our daily lives.
- She fell under the influence of an older student.
- His teacher described him as a noisy, disruptive influence in class.
- The country's great influence in the world is disproportionate to its relatively small size.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Power to control
- ascendancy
- big beast
- buy-in
- chairmanship
- determination
- discipline
- dominant
- leadership
- lever
- manipulation
- mastery
- muscle
- oversight
- peer pressure
- sphere of influence
- spin control
- state-controlled
- states' rights
- supervision
- tooth
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Idiom(s)
under the influence
influenceverb [ T ]
uk/ˈɪn.flu.əns/us/ˈɪn.flu.əns/B2 to affect or change how someone or something develops, behaves, or thinks:
She's very good at making friends and influencing people.
[ + obj + to infinitive ] What influenced you to choose a career in nursing?
More examples
- Some people believe your biorhythms can influence your moods and behaviour.
- She had her own style and was not influenced by the vagaries of fashion.
- People's voting habits are influenced by political, social and economic factors.
- What influenced you to choose a career in nursing?
- The government's campaign is aimed at influencing public opinion.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Affecting and influencing
- across-the-board
- act
- affect
- applicability
- be/fall under sb's influence/spell idiom
- bear on sth
- cross
- force
- inspiration
- instrumental
- jerk
- lead 1
- leave your/its mark on sb/sth idiom
- major league
- reverberate
- thing
- turn sb's head idiom
- unlock
- warp
- work against/for sb
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