Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1600-1700
Language: Latin
Origin: , past participle of impingere; IMPINGE

impact

1 noun
     
im‧pact1 W2
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.
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.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
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