collision vs impact

collision

noun
  • An instance of colliding. 

  • Any event in which two or more bodies exert forces on each other in a relatively short time. In a collision, physical contact of two bodies is not necessary. 

impact

noun
  • The striking of one body against another; collision. 

  • A significant or strong influence or effect. 

  • A forced impinging. 

  • The force or energy of a collision of two objects. 

verb
  • To stamp or impress onto something. 

  • To collide or strike, the act of impinging. 

  • To significantly or strongly influence or affect; to have an impact on. 

  • To compress; to compact; to press into something or pack together. 

How often have the words collision and impact occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )