Meaning & use
high influence
Last updated
Meaning
phraseuncountable
the ability to affect decisions, opinions, or events to a great degree
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase after have, gain, lose, or of; not used before a noun.
Patterns
- have high influence
- gain high influence
- people of high influence
She has high influence over the committee's final decision.
After the merger, the company gained high influence in the region.
He lost much of his high influence when the new manager arrived.
Common combinations
- have high influence
- Senior staff here have high influence on policy.
- gain high influence
- The group gained high influence after the election.
- lose high influence
- The old guild lost high influence over the years.
- a person of high influence
- She is a person of high influence in the art world.
Synonyms and how they differ
- great influence
- Means almost the same but is more common in everyday speech; high influence sounds slightly more formal or business-like.
- strong influence
- Emphasizes power or effect rather than rank; often used for people or ideas that shape opinions.
- clout
- Informal and often about political or business power; high influence is more neutral and formal.
Opposites
Word family
- influential adjective
- Having the power to affect people or events; more common than high influence as an adjective.
- influence noun
- The basic noun meaning the power to affect things; high influence is a stronger, more specific phrase.
- influence verb
- To affect someone or something; used with an object, e.g. influence the outcome.
Commonly confused: high influence or highly influential?
high influence vs highly influential
This is the adjective phrase for describing a person or thing; high influence is a noun phrase, so say 'She is highly influential,' not 'She is high influence.'
Practice
Which sentence uses 'high influence' correctly?
Choose one answer.
High influence is a noun phrase, so it follows verbs like have: 'has high influence.' Option A wrongly uses it before a noun, C uses it as a verb, and D uses it as an adjective after 'is.'
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “high influence”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.