affectverb
American /ə.ˈfɛkt/ British /ə.ˈfekt/
third-person singular affects past tense affected past participle affected present participle affecting
cause changecause a change in someone or something; influence someone or something
transitive [T] verb + object [V + obj]
- The weather can affect your mood.
- The new law will affect thousands of workers.
- Lack of sleep affects your ability to concentrate.
- Smoking affects the lungs and the heart.
Collocations
adverb + verb directly affect, seriously affect, badly affectSynonyms influence; hit
emotioncause someone to feel strong emotion
transitive [T] verb + object [V + obj]
- The sad story affected her deeply.
- He was clearly affected by the news of her death.
- The film's ending affected the whole audience.
Collocations
adverb + verb deeply affect, profoundly affectSynonyms move
Word family
- affected
- affecting
Usage
Affect is nearly always a verb, meaning to influence or change something. A separate, specialized noun affect (an observable emotional state) belongs to psychology and psychiatry, not everyday use. The everyday noun that pairs with the verb affect is spelled effect.
Common mistakes
See also affect