impair Definition
to weaken or damage something, especially an ability or a part of the body.
Using impair: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "impair" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
Drinking alcohol can impair your driving ability.
Example
The injury impaired his mobility.
Example
The bad weather impaired our progress.
Example
Lack of sleep can impair cognitive function.
impair Synonyms and Antonyms
Idioms Using impair
impair someone's vision
to make it difficult for someone to see clearly
Example
The bright lights impaired my vision for a few minutes.
Example
The alcohol impaired his judgment and he made a poor decision.
Example
The loud music impaired her hearing for a while.
Phrases with impair
having a condition that affects mental functioning, such as intellectual disability or dementia
Example
The school provides special education for mentally impaired students.
Example
The museum offers tours for visually impaired visitors.
hearing-impaired
having a condition that affects hearing, such as deafness or partial hearing loss
Example
The theater provides assistive devices for hearing-impaired patrons.
Origins of impair
from Old French 'empairer', from 'en-' (expressing reversal) + 'pair' meaning 'equal'
Summary: impair in Brief
'Impair' [ɪmˈpeə(r)] means to weaken or damage something, especially an ability or a part of the body. It is often used in the context of physical or mental limitations, such as 'Lack of sleep can impair cognitive function.' 'Impair' can also be used in idiomatic expressions like 'impair someone's judgment,' meaning to make it difficult for someone to make good decisions.
