impress

¹ American  

[im-pres, im-pres] / ɪmˈprɛs, ˈɪm prɛs /

verb (used with object)

impressed, imprest, impressing

1. to affect deeply or strongly in mind or feelings; influence in opinion.

   He impressed us as a sincere young man.

   Synonyms:

   sway, persuade, move, inspire, touch, stir, affect

2. to fix deeply or firmly on the mind or memory, as ideas or facts.

   to impress the importance of honesty on a child.

3. to urge, as something to be remembered or done.

   She impressed the need for action on them.

4. to press (a thing) into or on something.

5. to impose a particular characteristic or quality upon (something).

   The painter impressed his love of garish colors upon the landscape.

6. to produce (a mark, figure, etc.) by pressure; stamp; imprint.

   The king impressed his seal on the melted wax.

7. to apply with pressure, so as to leave a mark.

8. to subject to or mark by pressure with something.

9. to furnish with a mark, figure, etc., by or as if by stamping.

10. Electricity. to produce (a voltage) or cause (a voltage) to appear or be produced on a conductor, circuit, etc.

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verb (used without object)

impressed, imprest, impressing

1. to create a favorable impression; draw attention to oneself.

   a child's behavior intended to impress.

noun

1. the act of impressing.

2. a mark made by or as by pressure; stamp; imprint.

3. a distinctive character or effect imparted.

   writings that bear the impress of a strong personality.

impress ² American  

[im-pres, im-pres] / ɪmˈprɛs, ˈɪm prɛs /

verb (used with object)

impressed, imprest, impressing

1. to press or force into public service, as sailors.

2. to seize or take for public use.

3. to take or persuade into service by forceful arguments.

   The neighbors were impressed into helping the family move.

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noun

1. impressment.

impress ¹ British  

verb

1. to make an impression on; have a strong, lasting, or favourable effect on

   I am impressed by your work

2. to produce (an imprint, etc) by pressure in or on (something)

   to impress a seal in wax

   to impress wax with a seal

3. (often foll by on) to stress (something to a person); urge; emphasize

   to impress the danger of a situation on someone

4. to exert pressure on; press

5. electronics to apply (a voltage) to a circuit or device

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noun

1. the act or an instance of impressing

2. a mark, imprint, or effect produced by impressing

impress ² British  

verb

1. to commandeer or coerce (men or things) into government service; press-gang

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noun

1. the act of commandeering or coercing into government service; impressment

Other Word Forms

• impresser
  noun
• impressible
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of impress¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Latin impressus, past participle of imprimere “to press into or upon, impress,” equivalent to im- “in” + pressus, past participle of premere (combining form -primere ) “to press”; see im- ¹, press ¹, print

Origin of impress²

First recorded in 1590–1600; im- ¹ + press ²

Explanation

Think of the verb impress as "leaving a mark." You might impress a print onto canvas, or you might impress prospective employers in a job interview. Whether that impression will be good or bad is up to you! The past participle of the Latin verb imprimere, "to press," is impressus, which evolved in the 14th century to the meaning "to make a permanent image." The word then came to be used figuratively, as when your parents impress upon you the importance of being honest or when you impress the judges at a diving competition. Impress can also mean to conscript someone into the army.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

impress impressed impressing imprest

"In the 1840 narrative, Byfield sought to impress wealthy patrons by presenting himself as a dutiful soldier and deserving veteran," O'Keeffe says.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

But the 6-foot-5, 265-pound Bailey, an undrafted free agent from Louisville, continues to impress.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

It's an exciting time for collectors, whether they're looking for never-before-seen designs, classic shirts reimagined or niche releases from far-flung lands to impress their colleagues at five-a-side.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

But it’s still possible to impress skeptical investors and flip a negative narrative.

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

But when I came out for dinner, Nan looked like herself again, unmussed and dressed to impress in black leggings and a long red shirt with lipstick to match.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

Thompson, a rookie who ran the fastest 40-yard dash in the NFL scouting combine, has impressed with his speed and could be a sleeper contributor in space.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

Berta's number two, Maurizio Micheli, watched Tzolis play for his country against Sweden in June and was suitably impressed.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

“I was very impressed by them. I thought they asked clever questions,” said Socher, who is now founder and chief executive of AI startup Recursive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

"We were certainly watching closely as it interacted with Joe Island and were impressed that it survived the interaction without further fragmentation," Garbo said.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

“I was never impressed by her grand gestures,” Camille says.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

As the company achieves notable growth — sales more than doubled in the latest quarter — it’s also impressing Wall Street with its profit performance.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

While at City, rapid forward Fletcher, an England Under-17s international, helped the club reach the FA Youth Cup final in 2024 and 2025 before impressing at Ipswich, scoring six times in the Premier League 2.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Buddhas float overhead like a divine ideal but also weigh down on their visitors, impressing on us the difficulty of ever reaching enlightenment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

But Rockets' bowlers held their nerve late in the innings as Spirit lost five wickets for 42 balls, with spinner Calvin Harrison impressing again with 2-25.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

I’d felt uncomfortable around him, especially while my dad was overly focused on impressing his older brother.

From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan

His version is this:— "Enough for me, if to some feeling breast, My lines a secret sympathy convey; And as their pleasing influence is imprest, A sigh of soft reflection heave for Gray."

From Notes and Queries, Number 26, April 27, 1850 by Various

Our young man, however, did not seem to be imprest either with this spectacle of destruction or with the beauty of the sky, tinged with the rosy colors of the dawning day.

From The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to Prose, Vol. VIII (of X) - Continental Europe II. by Henry Cabot Lodge

Preeminent above all other suggestions, I am imprest with his vivid sense of the reality of the redemptive work of Christ.

From The World's Great Sermons, Volume 10 Drummond to Jowett, and General Index by Grenville Kleiser

But here at any rate we can see the house in which he toiled—no genius ever took more pains—and the surroundings which imprest his mind and influenced his inspiration.

From Seeing Europe with Famous Authors, Volume 5 Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Switzerland, Part 1 by Francis W. (Francis Whiting) Halsey

Allowing for the changes produced by time, I think sufficient analogy may be found between the ancient and modern uses of the words "imprest" and "debenture."

From Notes and Queries, Number 37, July 13, 1850 by Various

Related Words

• affect
• awe
• excite
• faze
• inspire
• sway
• thrill
• touch