influence noun
1 effect sb/sth has; power to control sb/sth
ADJ. big, considerable, enormous, great, significant | growing | chief, dominant, major, overwhelming | powerful, profound, strong He had a profound influence on modern poets. | important | crucial, decisive | undue (law) The court found that the bank exerted undue influence over Mrs Black in getting her to sign the contract. | beneficial, positive | adverse, corrupting, destructive, disruptive, evil, negative | stabilizing, steadying | calming, restraining | civilizing | direct | pervasive, wide | external, outside The religious community wished to be independent of outside influence. | foreign | cultural, economic, genetic, political
VERB + INFLUENCE have | give sb Her wealth gave her influence over affairs of state. | exercise, exert, use, wield Can you use your influence with the director to get me a part in the film? Drug cartels wielded enormous influence in the city. | extend The unions have been able to extend their influence over all industries. | be under The court was told that he was under the influence of alcohol when he committed the offence. | come/fall under She came under the influence of Sartre at this period. | be independent of | show Spanish architecture shows Moorish influence. | attribute sth to Much of his writing can be attributed to the influence of Freud.
INFLUENCE + VERB extend Their influence extended as far as China.
PREP. under the ~ The town grew under the influence of colonialism. | ~ from There was no influence from outside. | ~ in She has a certain amount of influence in the way things are organized. | ~ on/upon They were a major influence upon the development of the sport. | ~ over I have absolutely no influence over him. | ~ with Queen Isabella was urged to use her influence with the French monarch.
PHRASES a sphere of influence Rome's sphere of influence extended across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. | bring your influence to bear on sb/sth The king tried to bring his influence to bear on (= tried to influence) the parliament. | under the influence (of alcohol/drink) He was arrested for driving under the influence.
2 sb/sth that affects the way sb behaves/thinks
ADJ. big, considerable, great, significant | dominant, major, overwhelming | powerful, profound, strong | important | early Who were your early influences (= influences at the start of your career)? | formative The massive intellect of his mother had been a formative influence from his earliest years. | diverse He is a writer of Indian descent and draws upon diverse cultural influences. | outside Parents often seek to shelter their children from outside influences | good | adverse, bad, corrupting, destructive, disruptive, harmful, negative | stabilizing, steadying | calming, restraining | civilizing | environmental, genetic | artistic, cultural, musical
VERB + INFLUENCE be, represent The legacy of Ancient Rome represented the overwhelming influence on Romanesque architecture. | have The band had many influences. | be exposed to a study of children exposed to different cultural influences | draw from/on/upon
INFLUENCE + VERB be at work There were a number of influences at work in Gaudi's architecture.
PREP. ~ on She's by far the biggest influence on my writing.
influence verb
ADV. considerably, deeply, enormously, greatly, heavily, powerfully, profoundly, strongly This book influenced her profoundly. | increasingly | largely, mainly, primarily | partly, slightly | directly, indirectly Pressure from industry bosses has directly influenced government policy. | clearly, obviously, undoubtedly | actively | critically, crucially, decisively, significantly | inevitably | positively actions that positively influence health | adversely | unduly Try to be aware of external factors which may unduly influence your judgement.
VERB + INFLUENCE seem to | attempt to, seek to, try to seeking to influence university appointments
PREP. in Her parents tried to influence her in her choice of university.
PHRASES be easily/readily influenced He was naive and easily influenced by his friends.
You can also check other dicts: influence (English, 中文解释 ), wordnet sense, Collins Definition