impact: meaning, pronunciation and examples

/ˈɪmpækt/·IM-pakt

Impact (noun) means a strong effect that something has on a person or situation.

What does “impact” mean?

  1. 1

    nouna strong effect that something has on a person or situation

    Social media has a big impact on young people.
  2. 2

    nounthe force of one object hitting another

    The car was badly damaged by the impact.
  3. 3

    verbto have a strong effect on something

    The new tax will impact small businesses.

Impact at a glance

Part of speech
noun & verb
CEFR level
B2 (upper intermediate)
Pronunciation
/ˈɪmpækt/ · IM-pakt

How to use “impact” correctly

Say “an impact on”, not “an impact to”: “a huge impact on sales”.

Common phrases with “impact”

  • have an impact on
  • big impact
  • environmental impact
  • on impact

Synonyms (similar meaning)

“impact” is on these word lists

Learn these words next