Meaning & use
influence
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The power to affect how someone thinks or acts, or how something develops.
Grammar: Often with on or over: influence on teenagers.
Patterns
- influence on someone
- influence over someone
Friends have a strong influence on teenagers.
She has little influence over the decision.
nouncountable
A person or thing that has such an effect.
Grammar: Countable: a good influence.
Patterns
- an influence on someone
Her teacher was a big influence.
Jazz is an influence on his music.
verbtransitive
To have an effect on someone's choices or on how something turns out.
Grammar: Takes an object: influence the vote.
Patterns
- influence someone
- influence something
Ads can influence what we buy.
Weather influenced the final score.
Word forms
| plural | influences |
|---|---|
| third person singular | influences |
| past tense | influenced |
| past participle | influenced |
| -ing form | influencing |
Common combinations
- under the influence of
- He was under the influence of alcohol.
- strong influence
- Music had a strong influence on her.
- positive influence
- A positive influence changed his habits.
- influence a decision
- Cost may influence the decision.
- exert influence
- The group exerts influence on lawmakers.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- influential adjective
- having great influence
- influencer noun
- a person who shapes opinions online
Commonly confused: influence or affect?
influence vs affect
Affect is a verb for causing change; influence as a noun names the power.
Practice
Her older brother was a good ___ on her studies.
Choose one answer.
Influence on means an effect on. Inference means a conclusion.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “influence”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.