impression

[ im-presh-uhn ]

/ ɪmˈprɛʃ ən /

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See synonyms for: impression / impressions on Thesaurus.com

noun

a strong effect produced on the intellect, feelings, conscience, etc.

the first and immediate effect of an experience or perception upon the mind; sensation.

the effect produced by an agency or influence.

a notion, remembrance, belief, etc., often of a vague or indistinct nature: He had a general impression of lights, voices, and the clinking of silver.

a mark, indentation, figure, etc., produced by pressure.

an image in the mind caused by something external to it.

the act of impressing; state of being impressed.

Dentistry. a mold taken, in plastic materials or plaster of Paris, of teeth and the surrounding tissues.

an imitation of the voice, mannerisms, and other traits of a person, especially a famous person, as by an entertainer: The comedian did a hilarious impression of the president.

Chiefly Printing.

the process or result of printing from type, plates, etc.
a printed copy from type, a plate, an engraved block, etc.
one of a number of printings made at different times from the same set of type, without alteration (distinguished from edition).
the total number of copies of a book, pamphlet, etc., printed at one time from one setting of type or from one set of plates.

Metalworking. a portion of a die having in reverse the intended form of an object to be forged.

OTHER WORDS FOR impression

2 impact, imprint.

4 feeling.

See synonyms for impression on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of impression

1325–75; Middle English impressio(u)n<Latin impressiōn- (stem of impressiō), equivalent to impress(us) (see impress¹) + -iōn--ion

OTHER WORDS FROM impression

im·pres·sion·al, adjectiveim·pres·sion·al·ly, adverbim·pres·sion·less, adjectivepre·im·pres·sion, noun

Words nearby impression

impresa, impresario, imprescriptible, impress, impressible, impression, impressionable, impressionism, impressionist, impressive, impressment

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use impression in a sentence

Harm to those who would see them as painfully familiar, and harm to those who would view them with an unfamiliarity that might leave the impression that what’s on screen reflects normal, acceptable behavior.
The very real, very painful reasons the autistic community demanded two restraint scenes be removed from Sia’s new film ‘Music’|Theresa Vargas|February 10, 2021|Washington Post
Because target impression share bidding is based on real-time data, it overrides the bid adjustments from your manual campaign.
Smart Bidding: Five ways machine learning improves PPC advertising|Gabrielle Sadeh|February 10, 2021|Search Engine Watch
Jonathan Stringfield, VP Global Marketing, Measurement and Insights, Activision BlizzardBrands need better ways of measuring the effectiveness of campaigns beyond simply tracking impressions.
Brand Summit Recap: Marketers face looming identity crisis|Digiday Editors|February 10, 2021|Digiday
The fraudsters pulled off this heist by exploiting server-side ad insertion to falsify ad impressions.
Future of TV Briefing: Streaming services count on content to keep subscribers acquired in 2020|Tim Peterson|February 10, 2021|Digiday

Now all he saw were the rectangular impressions they’d left in the grass.
Bee theft is almost a perfect crime—but there’s a new sheriff in town|Andrew Zaleski|February 9, 2021|Popular-Science
“I found him to to be an interesting person,” Krauss said of the first impression.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But he told me recently that Malia would do my impression of him to him.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And then I met him before I started doing the impression of him when he was a guest on SNL for a moment.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“I have not gotten the impression that they have their minds made up or they are not open to new information,” Stammberger said.
FBI Won’t Stop Blaming North Korea for Sony Hack -- Despite New Evidence|Shane Harris|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They also give the impression that you have a neatly organized life.
Handbags: The More You Pay, The Smaller They Shrink|Elizabeth Landers|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I knew the world had nothing like her, and yet the impression she has made on me, at the first view, is unexpectedly great.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
A ray of Consciousness is passed over that impression and you re-read it, you re-awaken the record.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
However great the power of Revival, there is no memory unless there was a First Impression.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
And when he answered it, he was obliged to acknowledge that she had made upon his nature a definite impression.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
The concerto made a generally dazzling and difficult impression upon me, but did not "take hold" of me particularly.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay

British Dictionary definitions for impression

impression

/ (ɪmˈprɛʃən) /

noun

an effect produced in the mind by a stimulus; sensationhe gave the impression of wanting to help

an imprint or mark produced by pressinghe left the impression of his finger in the mud

a vague idea, consciousness, or beliefI had the impression we had met before

a strong, favourable, or remarkable effecthe made an impression on the managers

the act of impressing or the state of being impressed

printing

the act, process, or result of printing from type, plates, etc
one of a number of printings of a publication printed from the same setting of type with no or few alterationsCompare edition (def. 2)
the total number of copies of a publication printed at one time

dentistry an imprint of the teeth and gums, esp in wax or plaster, for use in preparing crowns, inlays, or dentures

an imitation or impersonationhe did a funny impression of the politician

Derived forms of impression

impressional, adjectiveimpressionally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with impression

impression

see make an impression under the impression.

impression

OTHER WORDS FOR impression

Origin of impression

OTHER WORDS FROM impression

Words nearby impression

Words related to impression

How to use impression in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for impression

Derived forms of impression

Other Idioms and Phrases with impression