# Yes, the word 'impact' may be used as a verb **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 30, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384 "2012-04-30T03:09:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/21 "2012-04-30T16:02:17Z")
Okay, I’m gonna one-up you here: I had a professor ding me on a paper because I used “since” to mean “because” (as in, “Since the author misrepresents Locke’s theory of property, her conclusions fail to persuade” or something like that). He was convinced it could only mean “after.” As for folks applauding the professor, that’s the worst sort of misunderstanding of language and how it works. There’s absolutely no utility in removing the verb form of “impact” from the language, nor is any such effort remotely likely to work. Hopefully you’ll give up this, and other, quixotic efforts to diminish our tongue. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/22 "2012-04-30T16:03:08Z")
I’m not a fan of “impact” as a verb, but I wouldn’t correct anyone for using it. I had a professor who took off points for use of the passive voice. That would have been OK if he knew what the passive voice was but he thought that any form of the verb “to be” indicated usage of the passive voice. It’s difficult to write a history paper without using the words “was” and “were”. Fortunately, he was impressed by the use of fancy words like “albeit” so I peppered my papers with such words to cancel out the ones lost to the passive voice. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/23 "2012-04-30T16:39:15Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Impact is a word often used to cover up a person’s ignorance of the correct usage of affect and effect. I suppose that is possible, but it is not the case in this instance. I sure hope that wasn’t the basis for which I was penalized. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/24 "2012-04-30T16:51:10Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Impact is a word often used to cover up a person’s ignorance of the correct usage of affect and effect. Indeed; I adopt a supercilious affect and effect to point out my grammar knowledge to everyone when someone forgets that affect is the verb and effect is the noun. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/25 "2012-05-01T00:57:29Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > “What advise would you give him?” to practice, practice, practice. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/26 "2012-05-01T02:31:47Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I don’t like “impact” as a verb. > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I do. > > 🙂 > mmm Well, you’re just mean, Mr. Mustard. 😉 > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > to practice, practice, practice. Or as the Brits would say: “to practise, practise, practise.” ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/27 "2012-05-01T03:14:09Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Or as the Brits would say: “to practise, practise, practise.” In the first place, I am British. In the second place, that destroys the joke. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/28 "2012-05-01T10:28:56Z")
Ah, well, that’s probably why they call me The Joke Destroyer. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/29 "2012-05-01T10:53:22Z")
Hopefully, this won’t happen to you again! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/30 "2012-05-01T11:36:25Z")
This thread has impacted me like a bad molar. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/31 "2012-05-01T14:14:59Z")
I had a professor give me a B instead of an A because she insisted that paragraphs had to be four sentences, minimum. It didn’t matter if my sentences were complex and fully addressing the point. She also took off points for “ending with author information,” i.e. a citation. Never mind that the next paragraph responds to the author in great detail. Conclusion: Professors are idiots. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/32 "2012-05-01T15:06:05Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Twenty or twenty-five years ago I HATED “impact” as a verb outside the field of astronomy. The astronomical use is the first and only example to pop into my head. Am I a freak? “The probe will impact the surface of Mars at high speed.” Yep, used as a verb. Sounds good to me. What’s the problem? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/33 "2012-05-02T09:43:28Z")
As mentioned, I emailed the instructor stating that I believe the word impact is appropriate to use as a verb. I included two examples from the media (NY Times and CNN) where it was used in that manner, as well as two dictionary definitions which clearly stated the word may be used as a noun or as a transitive verb; both dictionaries also gave examples. My instructors response: “These are not academic sources”. WTF?, I say. A dictionary may not be used a source for word usage? Is there a such thing as an “academic” dictionary? I would love to ask her what her source for word usage is, if not a dictionary. I know it is in my best interest to let this drop, but my fingers SO want to type a response. mmm ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/34 "2012-05-02T11:38:13Z")
Your best option, in my opinion, for an academic source would be the Oxford English Dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/35 "2012-05-02T23:55:20Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Your best option, in my opinion, for an academic source would be the Oxford English Dictionary. I’ve done further research and found that what you say is true. I’ve also learned that an annual online subscription to the OED costs $295. Naaahh, it ain’t quite worth it. 🙂 mmm ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2012, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/36 "2012-05-03T00:04:59Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I’ve done further research and found that what you say is true. > > I’ve also learned that an annual online subscription to the OED costs $295. > > Naaahh, it ain’t quite worth it. 🙂 > mmm A library (or university) might have the subscription - so you might be able to print out the OED information from a library/university terminal for free ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2012, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/37 "2012-05-03T00:21:47Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I suppose that is possible, but it is not the case in this instance. Well, were you using _impact_ instead of _affect_, simply because you thought it makes you sounds smarter, or that it makes your idea sound more important? Because that’s really what the problem (often) is. It’s corporate-speak. _Impact_ as a verb originally implied a physical effect, especially as a result of heavy force. Otherwise, _affect_ is a perfectly usable word, and there was no reason to switch it out with _impact_. But in corporate circles it became trendy to use _impact_ all the time instead of _affect_, and then that radiated out to the general population. Someone who is aware of that history might well be motivated to take off half a percent, out of sheer annoyance. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/38 "2012-05-03T00:24:29Z")
I’m more weirded out by her taking specific points off for grammatical errors. A paper seems so abstract that grading on a points system doesn’t really make sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2012, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/39 "2012-05-03T01:04:42Z")
When I was in college, each grammatical or usage error cost a letter grade. ---
**Author:** ![Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bag_of_mostly_water/32/1029_2.png) [@Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bag_of_Mostly_Water)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384/40 "2012-05-03T01:16:45Z")
[Verbing weirds language](http://madshakespeare.com/2010/08/sunday-funnies-verbing-weirds-language/). Someone had to say it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-the-word-impact-may-be-used-as-a-verb/620384.md?page=3)