1 impinge | Definition of impinge

impinge

verb
im·​pinge | \ im-ˈpinj How to pronounce impinge (audio) \
impinged; impinging

Definition of impinge

intransitive verb

1 : to strike or dash especially with a sharp collision I heard the rain impinge upon the earth— James Joyce
2 : to have an effect : make an impression waiting for the germ of a new idea to impinge upon my mind— Phyllis Bentley
3 : encroach, infringe impinge on other people's rights

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Other Words from impinge

impingement \ im-​ˈpinj-​mÉ™nt How to pronounce impingement (audio) \ noun

Examples of impinge in a Sentence

hail was noisily impinging upon the car's exterior

Recent Examples on the Web

That would impinge on Abir Moussi, a lawyer who thinks the revolt was a foreign conspiracy and wants to exclude Islamists from politics. The Economist, "Tunisia’s fragile democracy faces a stiff test," 4 July 2019 Earth could naturally support 0.9 billion hectares of additional forest—an area the size of the United States—without impinging on existing urban or agricultural lands, the researchers report today in Science. Alex Fox, Science | AAAS, "Adding 1 billion hectares of forest could help check global warming," 4 July 2019 In the past few years, those threats and challenges have escalated, as China’s global ambitions, especially in the field of technology, have begun to impinge upon America’s preëminence. Jiayang Fan, The New Yorker, "Liu Cixin’s War of the Worlds," 17 June 2019 The issues that threaten to impinge upon that identity -- whether by curtailing the precious rights and freedoms the city enjoys or chipping away at its cultural heritage -- provoke the most visceral reactions from Hongkongers. Antony Dapiran, CNN, "City of dissent: Hong Kong has a proud tradition of protesting to protect its unique identity," 14 June 2019 The next step was for people to use it in the real world, but the messiness of nature had a way of impinging on the purity of Takens’ math. Quanta Magazine, "A Twisted Path to Equation-Free Prediction," 13 Oct. 2015 Understanding consciousness also impinges on animal rights and welfare, and on a wide range of medical and legal questions about mental impairments. Quanta Magazine, "Neuroscience Readies for a Showdown Over Consciousness Ideas," 6 Mar. 2019 Some petitioners argue Aadhaar impinges on basic constitutional rights. Vidhi Doshi, Washington Post, "India’s vast biometric ID program was supposed to end corruption. But the neediest may be hit hardest.," 25 Mar. 2018 Photo: Steve Mellon/Associated Press Opponents say the changes would impinge on the rights of law-abiding citizens and wouldn’t make the city safer. Kris Maher, WSJ, "After Synagogue Attack, Pittsburgh’s Push for Stricter Gun Laws Sparks Backlash," 11 Feb. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'impinge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of impinge

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for impinge

Latin impingere, from in- + pangere to fasten, drive in — more at pact

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More from Merriam-Webster on impinge

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with impinge

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for impinge

Spanish Central: Translation of impinge

Britannica English: Translation of impinge for Arabic Speakers