impressment

[im-pres-muh nt]

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noun

the act of impressing people or property into public service or use.

Origin of impressment

First recorded in 1780–90; impress² + -ment

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for impressment

Historical Examples of impressment

Instead of that it got them by a method which was called "impressment."
The Boys of 1812 and Other Naval Heroes
James Russell Soley
But in 1794 impressment was a negotiable question, because we were not ready to go to war about it then and there.
George Washington, Vol. II
Henry Cabot Lodge
This day is memorable for the impressment of seamen into the British service.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology
Joel Munsell
In the provisioning of the army the Confederate Government had recourse to impressment and the arbitrary fixing of prices.
The Day of the Confederacy
Nathaniel W. Stephenson
The impressment of seamen continued and was the source of daily increasing abuse.
Sustained honor
John R. Musick,

British Dictionary definitions for impressment

impressment

noun

the commandeering or conscription of things or men into government service

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

Word Origin and History for impressment

1796, "act of impressing into service," from impress (v.) + -ment.