INFLUENCE | Meaning In The Cambridge English Dictionary

Meaning of influence in English influencenoun [ C or U ] uk /ˈɪn.flu.əns/ us /ˈɪn.flu.əns/ Add to word list Add to word list B2 the power to have an effect on people or things, or a person or thing that is able to do this: influence on Family is the most important influence on children.bad influence Helen's a bad influence on him.influence over He has a huge amount of influence over the city council.have an influence Her coaching had a huge influence on the way I train.exert influence Christopher hoped to exert his influence to make them change their minds.under the influence of At the time she was under the influence of her father.

• My grandmother had a strong influence on my early childhood.
• We live in an increasingly secular society, in which religion has less and less influence on our daily lives.
• She fell under the influence of an older student.
• His teacher described him as a noisy, disruptive influence in class.
• The country's great influence in the world is disproportionate to its relatively small size.

Power to control

• absolute authority
• abuse of power
• ahold
• all's well that ends well idiom
• all-powerful
• ascendancy
• dominance
• domination
• dominion
• driven
• girl power
• pay grade
• peer pressure
• power base
• power grab
• power-sharing
• the upper hand
• under the command of someone
• under the influence of someone/something
• yoke

See more results »

Idiom

under the influence influenceverb [ I or T ] uk /ˈɪn.flu.əns/ us /ˈɪn.flu.əns/ B2 to affect or change how someone or something develops, behaves, or thinks: She's very good at making friends and influencing people. [ + obj + to infinitive ] What influenced you to choose a career in nursing?influence for Their work is aimed at influencing for a better future. to have power to cause a change in someone or something

• affectLow-income women were disproportionately affected by the legislation.
• influenceThe jury could have been influenced by all the media coverage surrounding the case.
• be/fall under someone's influence/spellThe young queen seemed to fall under the spell of her counsellor, believing everything he told her.
• be under someone's spellWe warned her about him, but all he had to do was turn on the charm and she was under his spell.
• guideHe is guided by the core beliefs of his religion.
• impactSevere storms will impact on travel across the region tonight.

See more results » to create social media content for a large number of people which affects their opinions, the products they choose, the lifestyle they want, etc.: People who influence on social media can have a significant impact on consumer behaviour. Generation Z is most likely to be influenced by influencers. Related word influencer

• Some people believe your biorhythms can influence your moods and behaviour.
• She had her own style and was not influenced by the vagaries of fashion.
• People's voting habits are influenced by political, social and economic factors.
• What influenced you to choose a career in nursing?
• The government's campaign is aimed at influencing public opinion.

Affecting and influencing

• across-the-board
• affect
• applicability
• be/fall under someone's influence/spell idiom
• bear on something phrasal verb
• conflict
• ear
• influential in something/doing something
• influentially
• inroad
• inspiration
• inspo
• pen
• rail
• reverberative
• run away with someone phrasal verb
• shapeable
• sphere of influence
• spill
• spin

See more results » (Definition of influence from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

influence | American Dictionary

influenceverb [ T ] us /ˈɪnˌflu·əns/ Add to word list Add to word list to cause someone to change a behavior, belief, or opinion, or to cause something to be changed: Businesses make large contributions to members of Congress, hoping to influence their votes on key issues. She was influenced by the common-sense views of her grandparents. That speech influenced the course of American history. influencenoun [ C/U ] us /ˈɪnˌflu·əns/ the power to have an effect on people or things, or someone or something having such power: [ C ] The kid next door is a bad/good influence on Kevin. [ U ] She used her influence to get her son a summer job. (Definition of influence from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

influence | Business English

influencenoun uk /ˈɪnfluəns/ us Add to word list Add to word list [ C or U ] the ability to have an effect on people or events: exert/have/exercise (an) influence He is close enough to the President to exert influence.(an) influence on sth Bloggers are expanding their influence on American politics.(an) influence over sth Consumer groups act as champions and have critical influence over industry.considerable/profound/growing influence He called on the industry to use its considerable influence to help resolve the situation. [ C ] a person or thing that is able to have an effect on other people or on events: International influences in the form of technology, systems and capital have historically been a feature of industrialization and economic growth.be an influence on sb/sth She has been a big influence on me in my career. considerable/great/major influence

See also

undue influence influenceverb [ T ] uk /ˈɪnfluəns/ us to affect or change how someone or something develops, behaves, or thinks: Many analysts regard the state of the U.S. job market as a major factor influencing consumer confidence.influence how/what/when An organization's values have been shown to influence how employees interact with each other. (Definition of influence from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of influence

influence This condition thus permitted us to measure the influence of performing two mental operations on the storage abilities of the children. From the Cambridge English Corpus While associations are more visible, low-profile activity by individual business players has been geared towards influencing the policymaking process from within. From the Cambridge English Corpus Like domestic policy, trade policy is subject to the influence of domestic veto players. From the Cambridge English Corpus So qualitative researchers are as likely to influence the nature of the research setting as are quantitative researchers in artificial experiments. From the Cambridge English Corpus Their nonlinear interaction has only a minor influence on the qualitative features of the layer evolution. From the Cambridge English Corpus Research should also examine the way that child gender may influence the development and use of emotion regulation strategies in physically maltreated children. From the Cambridge English Corpus Yet so many other factors also influence epistemic convictions that purely national styles may be relatively rare. From the Cambridge English Corpus If afterimages are purely retinal in origin, then percepts that depend on binocular combination should not influence the afterimage. From the Cambridge English Corpus Nevertheless, it seems that there is a network of different psychological factors in play, which seem to be interconnected and influencing one another. From the Cambridge English Corpus Singing seemed to influence their psychological well-being and mental states significantly. From the Cambridge English Corpus It may be that syllable structure may not play a role in the organization of lexical representations, but may influence the organization of phonological representations. From the Cambridge English Corpus A related issue is the influence of other phonological variables on lexical representations. From the Cambridge English Corpus It is, rather, a matter of what it is that parties can choose and what they can influence. From the Cambridge English Corpus The influence on the measured radiation of the angle formed by the jet axis with the line of sight is clear. From the Cambridge English Corpus Diversity may have been influenced by radiation subsequent to colonization, or by secondary radiations in contemporary host taxa. From the Cambridge English Corpus These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with influence

influence

These are words often used in combination with influence.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

anthropogenic influenceThus, the commonness of the aforementioned geometrid moths in habitats under anthropogenic influence may well reflect increased resource availability. From the Cambridge English Corpus   beneficial influenceOur data showed no evidence of a beneficial influence of balloon valvoplasty on the infundibular stenosis. From the Cambridge English Corpus   calming influenceHowever, we were still aware that he was exercising a calming influence behind the scenes. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0   These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. See all collocations with influence What is the pronunciation of influence?

Translations of influence

in Chinese (Traditional) 影響，作用, 有影響的人（或物）, 影響… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 影响，作用, 有影响的人（或物）, 影响… See more in Spanish influencia, influir en, influenciar… See more in Portuguese influência, influir em, influenciar… See more in Marathi in Japanese in Turkish in French in Catalan in Dutch in Tamil in Hindi in Gujarati in Danish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Urdu in Ukrainian in Telugu in Bengali in Czech in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Korean in Italian प्रभाव, प्रभाव टाकणे… See more 影響（力）, 影響力を及ぼす人（物）, ～に影響を及ぼす… See more etki, nüfuz, sözü geçerlik… See more influence [feminine], influencer, influer sur… See more influència, influir en, influenciar… See more invloed, beïnvloeden… See more மக்கள் அல்லது விஷயங்களில் ஒரு தாக்கத்தை ஏற்படுத்தும் சக்தி, அல்லது இதைச் செய்யக்கூடிய ஒரு நபர் அல்லது விஷயம், யாராவது அல்லது ஏதோ ஒன்று எவ்வாறு உருவாகிறது… See more (वस्तुओं या व्यक्तियों पर या किसी एक व्यक्ति का) प्रभाव, प्रभाव डालना… See more પ્રભાવ, (વસ્તુઓ અથવા વ્યક્તિઓ અથવા એક વ્યક્તિની), અસર કરવા માટે… See more indflydelse, påvirkning, influere… See more inflytande, påverkan, påverka… See more mempengaruhi, pengaruh, dipengaruhi… See more der Einfluss, beeinflussen… See more innflytelse [masculine], påvirkning [masculine], ha innflytelse på… See more اثر, زور, رسوخ… See more вплив, особа (фактор), що впливає… See more మనుషుల మీద లేదా వస్తువుల మీద ప్రభావం చూపించే శక్తి, లేదా ఇది చేయగలిగే వ్యక్తి, వస్తువు… See more প্রভাব, আচরণ বা চিন্তাভাবনাকে প্রভাবিত বা পরিবর্তন করতে… See more vliv, ovlivňovat… See more pengaruh, orang yang mempunyai pengaruh, mempengaruhi… See more อำนาจ, คบ / สิ่งที่มีอิทธิพล, มีอิทธิพลต่อ… See more ảnh hưởng, sự ảnh hưởng, ảnh hưởng tới… See more wpływ, wpływać na, osoba/rzecz mająca wpływ… See more 영향력, 영향, 영향을 미치다… See more influenza, influenzare, influire su… See more Need a translator?

Get a quick, free translation!

Translator tool

Browse

inflicting infliction inflorescence inflow influence influence on someone/something influence over someone/something influenced influencer {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

More meanings of influence

• sphere of influence
• interinfluence
• undue influence
• counter-influence
• influence on someone/something
• influence over someone/something
• driving under the influence

See all meanings

• under the influence idiom
• be/fall under someone's influence/spell idiom
• wield influence, power, etc. phrase

See all idioms and phrases

Word of the Day

family-style

UK /ˈfæm.əl.iˌstaɪl/ US /ˈfæm.əl.iˌstaɪl/

(of food) brought to the table in large dishes so that people can serve themselves

About this

Blog

All hands on deck! (Nautical Idioms, Part 2)

December 17, 2025 Read More

New Words

quiet cracking December 22, 2025 More new words has been added to list To top AI Assistant Contents EnglishAmericanBusinessExamplesCollocationsTranslations AI Assistant {{#displayLoginPopup}} Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Learn more with +Plus

Sign up for free and get access to exclusive content: Free word lists and quizzes from Cambridge Tools to create your own word lists and quizzes Word lists shared by our community of dictionary fans Sign up now or Log in Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Learn more with +Plus

Create word lists and quizzes for free Sign up now or Log in {{/displayLoginPopup}} {{#displayClassicSurvey}} {{/displayClassicSurvey}}

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
• My profile
• +Plus help
• Log out

AI Assistant Dictionary Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English Translations Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Bilingual Dictionaries English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English English–Danish Danish–English English–Dutch Dutch–English English–French French–English English–German German–English English–Indonesian Indonesian–English English–Italian Italian–English English–Japanese Japanese–English English–Norwegian Norwegian–English English–Polish Polish–English English–Portuguese Portuguese–English English–Spanish Spanish–English English–Swedish Swedish–English Semi-bilingual Dictionaries English–Arabic English–Bengali English–Catalan English–Czech English–Gujarati English–Hindi English–Korean English–Malay English–Marathi English–Russian English–Tamil English–Telugu English–Thai English–Turkish English–Ukrainian English–Urdu English–Vietnamese Translate Grammar Thesaurus Pronunciation Cambridge Dictionary +Plus Games {{userName}}

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
• My profile
• +Plus help
• Log out

Log in / Sign up English (UK) Change English (UK) English (US) Español Português 中文 (简体) 正體中文 (繁體) Dansk Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Norsk Polski Русский Türkçe Tiếng Việt Svenska Українська 日本語 한국어 ગુજરાતી தமிழ் తెలుగు বাঙ্গালি मराठी हिंदी Follow us Choose a dictionary

• Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
• Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
• Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
• Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
• Translation Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Bilingual Dictionaries
  • English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
  • English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
  • English–Danish Danish–English
  • English–Dutch Dutch–English
  • English–French French–English
  • English–German German–English
  • English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
  • English–Italian Italian–English
  • English–Japanese Japanese–English
  • English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
  • English–Polish Polish–English
  • English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
  • English–Spanish Spanish–English
  • English–Swedish Swedish–English
  Semi-bilingual Dictionaries English–Arabic English–Bengali English–Catalan English–Czech English–Gujarati English–Hindi English–Korean English–Malay English–Marathi English–Russian English–Tamil English–Telugu English–Thai English–Turkish English–Ukrainian English–Urdu English–Vietnamese
• Dictionary +Plus Word Lists

Choose your language English (UK) English (US) Español Português 中文 (简体) 正體中文 (繁體) Dansk Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Norsk Polski Русский Türkçe Tiếng Việt Svenska Українська 日本語 한국어 ગુજરાતી தமிழ் తెలుగు বাঙ্গালি मराठी हिंदी Contents

• English   NounVerb
• American   VerbNoun
• Business   NounVerb
• Examples
• Collocations

• Translations
• Grammar
• All translations

My word lists

To add influence to a word list please sign up or log in.

Sign up or Log in My word lists

Add influence to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

Something went wrong.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{name}} More Go to your word lists {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

Something went wrong.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} Tell us about this example sentence: The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. The sentence contains offensive content. Cancel Submit Thanks! Your feedback will be reviewed. {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

There was a problem sending your report.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. The sentence contains offensive content. Cancel Submit Thanks! Your feedback will be reviewed. {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

There was a problem sending your report.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}}