impactnoun [ C usually singular, U ]
uk/ˈɪm.pækt/us/ˈɪm.pækt/C2 the force or action of one object hitting another:
The impact of the crash reduced the car to a third of its original length.
The bullet explodes on impact (= when it hits another object).
B2 a powerful effect that something, especially something new, has on a situation or person:
The anti-smoking campaign had had/made quite an impact on young people.
The new proposals were intended to soften the impact of the reformed tax system.
More examples
- The increase in the number of young people leaving to work in the cities has had a dramatic impact on the demography of the villages.
- This decision will have a disastrous impact on foreign policy.
- The report concluded that business pressure on the government had muffled the impact of the legislation.
- The tax on fuel will not have a serious impact on the better-off.
- The book discusses the impact of Christian thinking on western society.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Physics: energy, force & power
- a head of steam idiom
- barometric pressure
- binding energy
- bioenergy
- chemical bond
- constructive interference
- distance multiplier
- drag
- dynamics
- gravitation
- jet propulsion
- joule
- potential energy
- static equilibrium
- stress fracture
- strong force
- the sound barrier
- vector
- waveform
- weak force
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Outcomes and consequences
impactverb [ I or T ]
uk/ɪmˈpækt/us/ɪmˈpækt/mainly USC1 to have an influence on something:
Falling export rates have impacted (on) the country's economy quite considerably.
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
- inroad
- inspiration
- instrumental
- jerk
- lead 1
- leave your/its mark on sb/sth idiom
- thing
- tilt the balance/scales idiom
- turn sb's head idiom
- unlock
- warp
- work against/for sb
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