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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 her long to make an impression in Portugal.

From BBC • Sep. 6, 2025

“Well, I am going to make an impression, one way or another. And I cannot take one minute less than an hour and three-quarters to do it.”

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

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.