1
as in to influence
to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response
their son claims that scary movies don't affect him in the least
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to involve
to be the business or affair of
fortunately, hurricane season doesn't affect the West Coast
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to simulate
to present a false appearance of
she affected complete unawareness that we were talking about her, though she must have overheard
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to haunt
to go to or spend time in often
a power couple known to affect all the fancy parties in town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of affect
Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 15 May 2026
Epigenetics explains how your behaviors and environment can affect how your genes act.
—Julie Scott, Verywell Health, 15 May 2026
Her endorsement, paired with research on how the blankets affect stress hormones, has helped turn a once-niche sleep accessory into a mainstream wellness staple.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 15 May 2026
The outages can affect entire communities or isolated neighborhoods, depending on which circuits are deemed at risk.
—Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for affect
Verb
The city filed a lawsuit saying the federal government failed to perform required reviews of how the project would affect the health and safety of residents and the environment.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 15 May 2026
Epigenetics explains how your behaviors and environment can affect how your genes act.
—Julie Scott, Verywell Health, 15 May 2026
Her endorsement, paired with research on how the blankets affect stress hormones, has helped turn a once-niche sleep accessory into a mainstream wellness staple.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 15 May 2026
The outages can affect entire communities or isolated neighborhoods, depending on which circuits are deemed at risk.
—Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for affect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affect
Verb
-
The juror said the comments influenced her to find Murdaugh guilty.—
Abigail Brooks,
NBC news,
14 May 2026
-
The hours-long proceeding focuses on whether jurors might have been wrongly influenced by Hill — and how Toal evaluated that question in 2024.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Another task involved answering elementary school questions with a giant pencil, and the final showdown was over a Plinko-esque game with specialized chips.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
-
The patrol gave no cause for the crash, but noted the roads were wet and said alcohol is not suspected to be a factor for anyone involved.—
Anthony Bettin,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Several heat shield tiles on the spacecraft have intentionally been painted white to simulate damage and create visual targets for inspection systems.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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And simulating Paul Baran’s idea became Sharla’s job.—
Laura Isensee,
Scientific American,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
An office complex in Oakland has been seized by its lender through a foreclosure that serves as a disquieting reminder that financial setbacks continue to haunt commercial properties in the East Bay’s largest city.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
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Her screams still haunt the building according to some, which explains the faint sounds of a distressed woman that Pierre kept picking up on his headset earlier.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Building on the growth trend established since the fourth quarter of last year, the DTC channel continued to deliver positive results at constant exchange rates, while the overall performance was impacted by lower volumes in the wholesale channel, said Greco.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
14 May 2026
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Betz also pointed to Michigan's lower birth rates, which have shrunk the pool of 18-year-olds seeking a college education, a trend that heavily impacts small private institutions like Siena Heights.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Endocrinology is the medical specialty concerned with these diseases of the body’s hormones.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
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So far as Pedro Almodóvar is concerned, cinema is everything, and everything is cinema.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
The two initially make a deal where Hannah exchanges free tutoring lessons for Garrett pretending to be her boyfriend, making her crush jealous.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
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With the war’s turbulence on the economy more prevalent and the internet now throttled, Russians no longer have the luxury of pretending the war in Ukraine isn’t happening.—
Daniel DePetris,
Twin Cities,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Imani — the son of Monty and Rose — and Pippin, a Wisconsin transplant who’s been frequenting Illinois since 2024 — returned to Chicago in April.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
-
Two separate Go Fund Me fundraisers organized by those who frequented Uncle Lou’s have started collecting donations for Williams’ immigration attorney.—
Natalia Jaramillo,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 May 2026
Video
How to Remember 'Affect' and 'Effect'
A simple way to keep them apart. (Most of the time.)
Cite this Entry
“Affect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affect. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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