First published 1899; not yet revised More entries for "impact"

impactnoun

Meaning & use
Etymology
Pronunciation
Frequency
Compounds & derived words

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Quotations

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Factsheet

What does the noun impact mean?

There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun impact. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

See meaning & use

How common is the noun impact?

About 80occurrences per million words in modern written English

1780	0.93
1790	0.37
1800	0.2
1810	0.12
1820	0.3
1830	0.59
1840	0.59
1850	0.8
1860	1.1
1870	1.7
1880	1.9
1890	2.5
1900	3.0
1910	4.2
1920	4.8
1930	7.1
1940	13
1950	21
1960	33
1970	58
1980	76
1990	87
2000	96
2010	96

See frequency

How is the noun impact pronounced?

British English

/ˈɪmpakt/

IM-packt

U.S. English

/ˈɪmˌpæk(t)/

IM-packt

See pronunciation

Where does the noun impact come from?

Earliest known use

late 1700s

The earliest known use of the noun impact is in the late 1700s.

OED's earliest evidence for impact is from 1781, in the writing of Richard Watson, bishop of Llandaff.

It is also recorded as a verb from the early 1600s.

impact is a borrowing from Latin.

See etymology

Nearby entries

i-mone, n.1297
i-moot, n.Old English–1225
imp, n.¹Old English–
imp., adj. & n.²
imp, v.Old English–
impacability, n.1602
impacable, adj.1571–1602
impacific, adj.a1657
impack, v.1611–
impacking, n.1611–
impact, n.1781–
impact, adj.1563–1652
impact, v.1601–
impact crater, n.1895–
impacted, adj.1683–
impact extrusion, n.1935–
impactful, adj.1939–
impact head, n.1928–
impacting, adj.1916–
impaction, n.1739–
impact ionization, n.1909–

Browse more nearby entries

Meaning & use

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Entry history for impact, n.

impact, n. was first published in 1899; not yet revised

impact, n. was last modified in September 2023

Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:

corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into impact, n. in September 2023.

Earlier versions of impact, n. were published in:

OED First Edition (1899)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

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View impact, n. in Second Edition

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Chicago

Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “”, . <>

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MLA9

“”. Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, , <>

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