influences

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of influence.

   Cultural and religious influences blended together in the city's architecture.

   Researchers traced the various influences behind the policy shift.

   Note

   The plural belongs to the countable side of the noun. Uncountable influence is a general power or sway, as in she has influence. Influences counts its separate sources: the people, traditions or forces acting on something, as in the influences on a writer's style. The old astrological meaning, an element of character fixed by the stars at birth, also counts naturally in the plural.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of influence.

   Advertising strongly influences the choices shoppers make at the store.

   A coach's attitude often influences how an entire team performs.

   Note

   Unlike the noun, the verb takes its object directly, with no preposition: advertising influences choices. The on belongs only to the noun, as in its influence on choices. Because the plural noun has the same spelling, a direct object right after the word marks it as the verb. An intransitive use, meaning to exert one's influence, also exists, but the transitive pattern is the everyday one.

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