impact

1. noun

1)

the force of the impact

Syn:

collision, crash, smash, bump, bang, knock

2)

the job losses will have a major impact

Syn:

effect, influence, significance, meaning; consequences, repercussions, ramifications, reverberations

2. verb

1)

a comet impacted the earth sixty million years ago

Syn:

crash into, smash into, collide with, hit, strike, ram, smack into, bang into, slam into

2)

high interest rates have impacted retail spending

Syn:

affect, influence, have an effect on, make an impression on; hit, touch, change, alter, modify, transform, shape

••

impact

Impact has traditionally been only a noun. In recent years, however, it has undergone a semantic shift that has allowed it to act as a verb. Such use has become widespread (and also widely condemned by stylists) — e.g.: "The researchers concluded that this low level of intensity may have impacted [read affected] the results." (Tampa Tribune; July 17, 1997.) This use of the word would be perfectly acceptable if impact were performing any function not as ably performed by affect or influence. If affect as a verb is not sufficiently straightforward in context, then the careful writer might use have an impact on, which, though longer, is probably better than the jarring impact of impacted. Reserve impact for noun uses and impacted for wisdom teeth.

Interestingly, impact as a verb might have arisen partly in response to widespread diffidence about the spelling of affect (often confused with effect). — BG