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Synonyms

make an impression

Idioms  

  1. Produce a strong effect on one. This phrase is often qualified with an adjective such as good, bad, strong, or the like. For example, He tried to make a good impression on his girlfriend's parents, or Be careful or you'll make a bad impression on the jury, or You made quite an impression with that speech. [Mid-1600s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

So for Super Bowl LX, the fake-brain industry is working to make an impression on our real brains by turning to the cryptocurrency bubble’s onetime game plan—and bringing in all your favorite celebrities.

From Slate • Feb. 8, 2026

The most time-consuming part of the job involves crafting a counter, thick card stock that pushes the paper into the copper plate to make an impression, essentially serving as a negative.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

The film’s two new songs, “No Place Like Home” and “The Girl in the Bubble,” fail to make an impression.

From Salon • Nov. 21, 2025

It did not take long for Adams to make an impression with his new teammates.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 28, 2025

Yet it is always the thin gray grocery sums that make an impression.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.