influence

noun in·flu·ence \ ˈin-ˌflü-ən(t)s , especially Southern in-ˈflü- \

Updated on: 12 Nov 2017

Definition of influence

plural influences

1 a :an ethereal fluid held to flow from the stars and to affect the actions of humans

b :an emanation of occult power held to derive from stars

2 :an emanation of spiritual or moral force

3 a :the act or power of producing an effect without apparent exertion of force or direct exercise of command

b :corrupt interference with authority for personal gain

4 :the power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways :sway

5 :one that exerts influence

— under the influence

:affected by alcohol or drug intoxication

was arrested for driving under the influence

See influence defined for English-language learners

See influence defined for kids

Examples of influence in a Sentence

Recent years have seen a decline in the company's influence within the industry.
Her ideas have gradually gained influence in the company.
He used his influence to reform the company's policies.
She has remained under the influence of her parents.
She claims that her personal problems played no influence upon her decision to resign.
His health problems may have had some influence on his decision.
Her parents still have a great deal of influence over her.
The chairman wields considerable influence over the board's decisions.
Her parents are concerned that her new friends may have a bad influence on her.
Emily Dickinson has had a major influence on his poetry.

Recent Examples of influence from the Web

That means Morningstar’s analysis and ratings influence investment decisions for a vast landscape of retirement plans and brokerage accounts.

— kirsten grind, WSJ, "The Morningstar Mirage," 28 Oct. 2017
Like politics, diplomacy is largely about cultivating relationships and wielding influence.

— amy weiss-meyer, The Atlantic, "A Freelance Diplomat Takes Scandinavia," 29 Oct. 2017
The suit says prosecutors didn't file charges against Hubbard because of the influence of the sheriff.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "Alabama sheriff who killed himself protected rape, murder suspect, lawsuit contends," 28 Oct. 2017
In 1930, the Fish Committee looked into William Z. Foster and other communist influences.

— Longreads, "How Does It Feel? An Alternative American History, Told With Folk Music," 26 Oct. 2017
He's credited both his parents for being huge influences in his personal and professional life.

— Essence.com, "Drake Celebrated His Birthday With A Sweet Father-Son Duet," 25 Oct. 2017
The chance to resume that role, enhanced by the influence of Mason’s testimony from last season, was much of the impetus for his return.

— vahe gregorian, kansascity, "Face of KU hoops shifts from grim Mason to merry Graham | The Kansas City Star," 24 Oct. 2017
Despite Jones’ tremendous influence with the league and his fellow owners, things didn’t go his way.

— peter dawson, star-telegram, "ESPN report: Goodell didn’t invite Jerry Jones to owners-players anthem meeting | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 27 Oct. 2017
In his first few months, Macron has shown himself to have an Obama- or Justin Trudeau-esque skill for using cheeky internet-speak to gain admirers and influence.

— kaitlin menza, Harper's BAZAAR, "Paris Gets Its Mojo Back," 25 Oct. 2017

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

The Surprising History of Influence and Its Modern Use

Influence may seem like a ho-hum word, but its history is heavenly.

The word first referred to a celestial fluid that was believed to flow from the stars. As this fluid reached the Earth, it supposedly affected the actions of the planet's inhabitants—especially the human ones. (The word influenza has the same origin: the Medieval Latin word influentia. It was for a time believed that epidemics were caused by unusual conjunctions of the planets.)

In modern use, the noun typically refers to the power to change or affect someone or something—especially the power to cause changes without directly forcing those changes to happen. Influence can also refer to a person or thing that affects someone or something in an important way.

The noun had been in use for more than 200 years before the verb use developed. As a verb, influence typically means "to affect or change someone or something in an indirect but usually important way." Something or someone that influences a person or thing, then, has an influence on that person or thing.

Origin and Etymology of influence

Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin influentia, from Latin influent-, influens, present participle of influere to flow in, from in- + fluere to flow — more at fluid

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

influence Synonyms

Synonyms

authority, clout, credit, heft, in, juice [slang], leverage, pull, sway, weight

Related Words

counterinfluence; command, dominance, dominion, mastery, predominance, reign, scepter, sovereignty (also sovranty), supremacy; consequence, eminence, importance, moment; impact, impress, impression, imprint, mark

Near Antonyms

helplessness, impotence, impotency, powerlessness, weakness

Synonym Discussion of influence

influence, authority, prestige, weight, credit mean power exerted over the minds or behavior of others. influence may apply to a force exercised and received consciously or unconsciously.

- used her influence to get the bill passed

authority implies the power of winning devotion or allegiance or of compelling acceptance and belief.

- his opinions lacked authority

prestige implies the ascendancy given by conspicuous excellence or reputation for superiority.

- the prestige of the newspaper

weight implies measurable or decisive influence in determining acts or choices.

- their wishes obviously carried much weight

credit suggests influence that arises from the confidence of others.

- his credit with the press

influence

verb

Definition of influence

influenced; influencing

transitive verb

1 :to affect or alter by indirect or intangible means

She attempted to influence his decision.

greatly influenced by my parents

2 :to have an effect on the condition or development of

Productivity was influenced by worker satisfaction.

—

influenceable

play \ˈin-ˌflü-ən(t)-sə-bəl\ adjective

- In the situation where performance measures are not seen as influenceable, there is little chance of the person seeing a connection between his effort and his rewards.
- —Lyman W. Porter et al.

—

influencer

noun, plural influencers

- The old theme of laziness and mellowness runs counter to today's influencers, who are businesspeople and upscale inspirational promoters of a go-getter way of life.
- —John C. Dvorak

See influence defined for English-language learners

Examples of influence in a Sentence

I was deeply influenced by my parents.
She claims that her decision to resign was not influenced by her personal problems.
No one knows how this decision will influence the outcome of the election.
He's accused of illegally attempting to influence the jury.

Recent Examples of influence from the Web

The president’s lack of macroeconomic literacy may also create an opening for allies seeking to influence him.

— bess levin, The Hive, "Rupert Murdoch Is Leaning on Trump to Shake Up the Fed," 23 Oct. 2017
Sometimes the self-interest influencing people’s predictions is simply their desire to be right.

— caroline beaton, The Atlantic, "Humans Are Bad at Predicting Futures That Don’t Benefit Them," 2 Nov. 2017
Consumers may benefit from their free products and from low prices, but small businesses have been hurt by the tech giants’ incursions into a wide array of industries, which can influence politicians.

— The Economist, "America’s tech giants have no political party to protect them," 26 Oct. 2017
MacGregor asked Wright if being a libertarian had influenced his work, or if the work had turned him into a libertarian.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "The Creator of Bitcoin Comes Clean, Only to Disappear Again," 11 Oct. 2017
Others’ opinions might influence one’s own behavior, Noelle-Neumann hypothesized.

— rupert darwall, National Review, "The Spiral of Silence," 1 Nov. 2017
But, as much as politics may influence and reflect the etiquette of its time, Martin is reluctant to attribute shifts in American etiquette to one president or another.

— maureen o'connor, The Cut, "The Joy of Reading Miss Manners in 2017," 24 Oct. 2017
Inspection results vary widely by state, influenced sometimes by lax nursing homes or more assertive surveyors, or a combination, according to an analysis of two types of emergency-planning deficiencies.

— jordan rau, Kaiser Health News, "Nursing Home Disaster Plans Often Faulted As ‘Paper Tigers’," 19 Sep. 2017
Trump must have missed this development, since the mainstream media took pains to avoid any mention of it during the 2016 campaign, lest unproven allegations influence the outcome of a high-stakes presidential election.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Calls on the FBI to ‘Go After’ His Political Enemies (for Things That Aren’t Crimes)," 3 Nov. 2017

First Known Use of influence

1658

influence Synonyms

Synonyms

impact, impress, ¹affect, move, reach, strike, sway, tell (on), touch

Related Words

carry away, dazzle, enrapture, entrance, enthrall (or enthral), ravish, transport; bias, color; inspire, stir; engage, interest, involve, penetrate, pierce; afflict, agitate, bother, concern, discomfort, discompose, disquiet, distress, disturb, fluster, harass, harry, perturb, pester, plague, smite, strain, stress, trouble, try, upset, worry, wring; allure, attract, bewitch, captivate, charm, enchant, fascinate

Near Antonyms

bore, jade, pall, tire, weary; underwhelm

Synonym Discussion of influence

affect, influence, touch, impress, strike, sway mean to produce or have an effect upon. affect implies the action of a stimulus that can produce a response or reaction.

- the sight affected her to tears

influence implies a force that brings about a change (as in nature or behavior).

- our beliefs are influenced by our upbringing

touch may carry a vivid suggestion of close contact and may connote stirring, arousing, or harming.

- plants touched by frost
- his emotions were touched by her distress

impress stresses the depth and persistence of the effect.

- only one of the plans impressed him

strike, similar to but weaker than impress, may convey the notion of sudden sharp perception or appreciation.

- struck by the solemnity of the occasion

sway implies the acting of influences that are not resisted or are irresistible, with resulting change in character or course of action.

- politicians who are swayed by popular opinion

INFLUENCE Defined for English Language Learners

influence

noun

Definition of influence for English Language Learners

: the power to change or affect someone or something : the power to cause changes without directly forcing them to happen
: a person or thing that affects someone or something in an important way

influence

verb

Definition of influence for English Language Learners

: to affect or change (someone or something) in an indirect but usually important way : to have an influence on (someone or something)

INFLUENCE Defined for Kids

influence

noun in·flu·ence \ ˈin-ˌflü-əns \

Definition of influence for Students

1 :the act or power of causing an effect or change without use of direct force or authority

You could move to some other part of Mexico, but … Luis's influence is far-reaching.
—Pam Muñoz Ryan,

2 :a person or thing that has an indirect but usually important effect

She's a bad influence on him.

influence

verb

Definition of influence for Students

influenced; influencing

:to affect or change in an indirect but usually important way I was influenced by my parents.

Law Dictionary

influence

noun in·flu·ence

legal Definition of influence

1 a :the act or power of producing an effect without any apparent exertion of force or direct exercise of command

b :corrupt interference with authority for personal gain

2 :the power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways

3 :one that exerts influence

—

influencer

noun

— under the influence

:affected by alcohol or another intoxicant

was arrested for driving under the influence

influence

transitive verb

legal Definition of influence

influenced; influencing

1 :to alter or affect by indirect or intangible means

the exemption would allow a conglomerate that owns both a media business and an unrelated business to influence or control the media
—Citizens United v. Federal Election Commʼn, 130 S. Ct. 876 (2010)

2 :to have an effect on the condition or development of