[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

influence \in"fluence\ i^n"fl-uens, n. f. influence,
   fr. l. influens, -entis, p. pr. see influent, and cf.
   influenza.
   1. a flowing in or upon; influx. obs.
      1913 webster

            god hath his influence into the very essence of all
            things.                               --hooker.
      1913 webster

   2. hence, in general, the bringing about of an effect,
      physical or moral, by a gradual process; controlling power
      quietly exerted; agency, force, or tendency of any kind
      which affects, modifies, or sways; as, the influence which
      the sun exerts on animal and vegetable life; the influence
      of education on the mind; the influence, according to
      astrologers, of the stars over affairs.
      1913 webster

            astrologers call the evil influences of the stars,
            evil aspects.                         --bacon.
      1913 webster

            canst thou bind the sweet influences of pleiades, or
            loose the bands of orion?             --job xxxviii.
                                                  31.
      1913 webster

            she said : "ah, dearest lord what evil star
            on you hath frown'd, and poured, his influence bad?"
                                                  --spenser.
      1913 webster

   3. power or authority arising from elevated station,
      excelence of character or intellect, wealth, etc.;
      reputation; acknowledged ascendency; as, he is a man of
      influence in the community.
      1913 webster

            such influence hath your excellency.  --sir p.
                                                  sidney.
      1913 webster

   4. elec. induction.

   syn: control; persuasion; ascendency; sway; power; authority;
        supremacy; mastery; management; restraint; character;
        reputation; prestige.
        1913 webster
see also:
influent influenza 

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

influence \in"fluence\, v. t. imp.  p. p. influenced
   i^n"fl-uenst; p. pr.  vb. n. influencing
   i^n"fl-uensi^ng.
   to control or move by power, physical or moral; to affect by
   gentle action; to exert an influence upon; to modify, bias,
   or sway; to affect; to move; to persuade; to induce.
   1913 webster

         these experiments succeed after the same manner in
         vacuo as in the open air, and therefore are not
         influenced by the weight or pressure of the atmosphere.
                                                  --sir i.
                                                  newton.
   1913 webster

         this standing revelation . . . is sufficient to
         influence their faith and practice, if they attend.
                                                  --attebury.
   1913 webster

         the principle which influenced their obedience has lost
         its efficacy.                            --rogers.
   1913 webster
see also:
influenced influencing 

[3] : WordNet (r) 2.0

influence
     n 1: a power to affect persons or events especially power based
          on prestige etc; "used her parents' influence to get the
          job"
     2: causing something without any direct or apparent effort
     3: a cognitive factor that tends to have an effect on what you
        do; "her wishes had a great influence on his thinking"
     4: the effect of one thing or person on another; "the
        influence of mechanical action"
     5: one having power to influence another; "she was the most
        important influence in my life"; "he was a bad influence
        on the children"
     v 1: have and exert influence or effect; "the artist's work
          influenced the young painter"; "she worked on her
          friends to support the political candidate" syn: act
          upon, work
     2: shape or influence; give direction to; "experience often
        determines ability"; "mold public opinion" syn: determine,
         shape, mold, regulate
     3: induce into action by using one's charm; "she charmed him
        into giving her all his money" syn: charm, tempt
see also:
act upon work determine shape mold regulate 
charm tempt 

[4] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

250 moby thesaurus words for "influence":
   rasputin, svengali, vip, access, acme, act on, act upon, actuation,
   advance, affect, alter, amperage, animation, armipotence,
   ascendancy, authority, authorization, bad influence,
   be-all and end-all, beef, behind-the-scenes influence, bend, bias,
   big wheel, black power, blue ribbon, bring, brute force, carry,
   championship, change, charge, charisma, clout, cogence, cogency,
   color, command, compulsion, concentrate on, conduce to,
   connections, consequence, contribute to, control, court, credit,
   decide, determine, devices, dint, direction, directorship, dispose,
   distort, dominance, domination, dominion, drag, drive, duress,
   effect, effectiveness, effectuality, eminence, eminence grise,
   energy, engage, enlist, expedients, favor, favoritism, first place,
   first prize, five-percenter, flower power, focus on, force,
   force majeure, forcefulness, forward, friend at court, full blast,
   full force, get, get to do, good influence, gray eminence,
   greatness, headship, heavyweight, hegemony, height, hidden hand,
   highest, hold, impact, imperium, importance, impress, impress upon,
   in, incline, induce, influence peddler, influencer,
   influentialness, ingroup, inner-direction, inspire, interest in,
   jaundice, jurisdiction, key, kingmaker, kingship, lead, lead to,
   leadership, leverage, lobby, lobbyist, lords of creation, lordship,
   lure, machination, main force, main strength, man of influence,
   mana, management, maneuvering, maneuvers, manipulate, manipulation,
   manipulator, mastership, mastery, maximum, might, might and main,
   mightiness, modify, moment, most, motivate, motivation, move,
   moving, moxie, muscle power, ne plus ultra, new high, open sesame,
   operate on, other-direction, palms, paramountcy, persuade, pizzazz,
   political influence, poop, potence, potency, potentiality, power,
   power pack, power structure, power struggle, powerfulness,
   powers that be, precedence, predispose, predominance, prejudice,
   prejudice against, prejudice the issue, prepossess, prepotency,
   presidency, pressure, pressure group, prestige, primacy, priority,
   procure, productiveness, productivity, prominence, prompt,
   prompting, puissance, pull, punch, push, rank, record, redound to,
   rule, say, seniority, sinew, sinister influence, soften up,
   sovereignty, special interests, special-interest group, stature,
   steam, stimulation, strength, strike, strong arm, subserve,
   superiority, superpower, supremacy, sway, tactical maneuvers,
   tactics, tempt, the establishment, tinge, tone, top spot, touch,
   treat, turn the scale, twist, validity, vehemence,
   very important person, vigor, vim, virility, virtue, virulence,
   vitality, warp, wattage, wear down, weigh with, weight,
   weightiness, wheeler-dealer, wire-puller, wire-pulling, work,
   work on, zenith

[5] : Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)

influence. authority, credit, ascendance. 
     2. influence is proper or improper. proper influence is that which one 
person gains over another by acts of kindness and, attention, and by correct 
conduct. 3 serg.  rawle, 269. improper influence is that dominion acquired 
by any person over a mind of sanity for general purposes, and of sufficient 
soundness and discretion to regulate his affairs in general, which prevents 
the exercise of his discretion, and destroys his free will. 1 cox's cas. 
355. when the former is used to induce a testator to make a will, it will 
not vitiate it; but when the latter is the moving cause, the will cannot 
stand. 1 hagg. r. 581; 2 hagg. 142; 5 serg.  rawle, 207; 13 serg.  rawle, 
323; 4 greenl. r. 220; 1 paige, r. 171; 1 dow.  cl. 440; 1 speers, 93. 
     3. a contract to use a party's influence to induce a person in 
authority to exercise his power in a particular way, is void, as being 
against public policy. 5 watts  serg. 315; 5 penn. st. rep. 452; 7 watts, 
152. 

[6] : THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993)

influence, n.  in politics, a visionary _quo_ given in exchange for a
substantial _quid_.

Influence >> I Words
Influence, definition of term: Influence
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Undue Influence >> U Words
Undue Influence, definition of term: Undue Influence
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