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The earliest known use of influence in English referred to a flowing power coming from what?

influence

[in-floo-uhns] / ˈɪn flu əns /




Usage

What are other ways to say influence? Influence is a personal and unofficial power derived from deference of others to one's character, ability, or station; it may be exerted unconsciously or may operate through persuasion: to have influence over one's friends. Authority is a power or right, usually because of rank or office, to issue commands and to punish for violations: to have authority over subordinates. Control is either power or influence applied to the complete and successful direction or manipulation of persons or things: to be in control of a project. 

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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Watching footballers who have six-packs is already a body-image influence, she said, let alone being then shown AI generated people who are unrealistic.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

As agents become more useful, they become personalized to their users and can influence people’s actions with their responses.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026

Rather than serving only as an empty backdrop, the quantum vacuum can potentially be engineered to influence the behavior of matter itself.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026

"I got to see Mikel and how he coached and the influence he was having," said Wilshere.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Both had seemingly endless supplies of wealth and influence.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

The rate on the 10-year Treasury is closely watched, as it influences the cost of trillions of dollars in borrowing for consumers, companies and the U.S. government.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

The back-to-back best director Oscar winner of “Birdman” and “The Revenant” has always loved a showy gimmick, but here he puts his influences on bold display.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

WSJ spoke with Foley about her influences, how she approached the project and what it was like to get the signoff from Christie’s estate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Additional experiments using isotopic labeling and neutron scattering showed how the structure of the starting polymer influences the resulting fuel.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

However, it is likely that we will never understand how spatial teleportation influences the timeline until and unless STSs engage in active teleportation.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

The broadcaster said he had spent time in Syria, raising concerns he may have been influenced by radical groups there.

From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026

The bond market is typically heavily influenced by slow-moving macroeconomic trends, LeBas pointed out.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

In other words, it may provide a useful window into the more active part of the phosphorus cycle that is influenced by microbial life.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026

But the Black Ferns refused to go away and continued to trouble England's defence, which is now being influenced by coaching consultant Shaun Edwards.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Both Vincent and Theo knew and liked his work, and Delacroix’s use of brushstrokes and color influenced the Impressionist painters.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

While many of them appear to be extensive and organised, it is hard to determine how widely they have spread or how significant a role they have played in actually influencing people.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Isabel Wang explained how the global oil market has become the most important factor influencing the stock and bond markets.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

It isn’t unusual for presidents and Fed chairs to meet on occasion, but in recent decades the contacts have been more formal and choreographed to avoid the perception the president is influencing rate decisions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Geologists studying some of Earth's oldest volcanic rocks have found evidence that water was already influencing the planet's interior and helping drive volcanic activity more than three billion years ago.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

If heredity too had a universal natural law, then it was likely influencing the genesis of peas as much as the genesis of humans.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee




Vocabulary lists containing influence


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