Meaning & use
influencing
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“influencing” is a form of “influence”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Affecting what someone thinks, chooses or does, or how something develops, without forcing it directly.
Grammar: Takes an object: influencing voters, influencing the outcome.
Patterns
- influencing someone
- influencing something
- influencing someone to do something
Older siblings are often influencing the way younger children speak.
She spent years influencing company policy from behind the scenes.
Advertisers are accused of influencing what teenagers want to buy.
noununcountableinformal
The activity of shaping other people's opinions or buying decisions, especially as a paid job online.
Grammar: No plural and no article: influencing is a growing career.
Patterns
- influencing skills
- social media influencing
Her influencing work for travel brands pays for her trips.
Training in influencing and negotiation is part of the management course.
He turned a hobby into full-time influencing.
Word forms
| base form | influence |
|---|---|
| third person singular | influences |
| past tense | influenced |
| past participle | influenced |
| -ing form | influencing |
Common combinations
- influencing factors
- Cost and distance were the main influencing factors in her choice.
- influencing decisions
- Friends play a big part in influencing decisions about college.
- influencing public opinion
- The newspaper spent decades influencing public opinion on housing.
- influencing behavior
- Small rewards can be effective at influencing behavior in the classroom.
- influencing the outcome
- Heavy rain ended up influencing the outcome of the match.
Synonyms and how they differ
- affecting
- Affecting is broader and can describe any effect, even a physical one, while influencing usually involves people's thoughts, choices or behavior.
- shaping
- Shaping suggests a longer-term, formative effect on how something turns out, whereas influencing can be quick and temporary.
- swaying
- Swaying means persuading someone to change their mind at a particular moment, while influencing may work slowly and without the person noticing.
- manipulating
- Manipulating carries a negative sense of controlling someone unfairly, whereas influencing is neutral and can be entirely positive.
Word family
- influence noun
- the power to affect someone or something
- influential adjective
- having a strong effect on others
- influencer noun
- a person with a large online following who shapes what others buy or like
- influenced adjective
- affected by something, as in an influenced decision
Commonly confused: influencing or affecting?
influencing vs affecting
Affecting is about causing any change, such as a storm affecting travel, while influencing is more often about shaping choices, beliefs or behavior.
Practice
A teacher is influencing her students to read more. Which action best fits this?
Choose one answer.
Influencing means affecting choices through example and encouragement rather than direct force. Ordering, banning and punishing are direct control, so they do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “influencing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.