impress
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to affect deeply or strongly in mind or feelings; influence in opinion.
He impressed us as a sincere young man.
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to fix deeply or firmly on the mind or memory, as ideas or facts.
to impress the importance of honesty on a child.
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to urge, as something to be remembered or done.
She impressed the need for action on them.
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to press (a thing) into or on something.
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to impose a particular characteristic or quality upon (something).
The painter impressed his love of garish colors upon the landscape.
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to produce (a mark, figure, etc.) by pressure; stamp; imprint.
The king impressed his seal on the melted wax.
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to apply with pressure, so as to leave a mark.
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to subject to or mark by pressure with something.
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to furnish with a mark, figure, etc., by or as if by stamping.
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Electricity. to produce (a voltage) or cause (a voltage) to appear or be produced on a conductor, circuit, etc.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to press or force into public service, as sailors.
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to seize or take for public use.
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to take or persuade into service by forceful arguments.
The neighbors were impressed into helping the family move.
noun
verb
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to make an impression on; have a strong, lasting, or favourable effect on
I am impressed by your work
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to produce (an imprint, etc) by pressure in or on (something)
to impress a seal in wax
to impress wax with a seal
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(often foll by on) to stress (something to a person); urge; emphasize
to impress the danger of a situation on someone
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to exert pressure on; press
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electronics to apply (a voltage) to a circuit or device
noun
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the act or an instance of impressing
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a mark, imprint, or effect produced by impressing
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing impress
"Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto
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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.
See Examples For:
A landlocked country still widely associated with a horrific genocide in 1994, Rwanda has used sports to revamp its image, attract tourists and impress investors with its organisational efficiency.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Gemini Spark did impress me with collecting everything I needed for Global Entry applications from my Google services, which a standard Gemini search with Personal Intelligence couldn’t do.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
The point of the date is to get to know the person better, not to attempt to impress them with how much you can afford to spend.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
For most of Tomlinson’s life, she regarded her mother as a flawless, devout Christian whom she desperately yearned to impress.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
How it hadn’t been an accident at all, but something she’d done on purpose just to impress people who probably weren’t worth impressing anyway, but she couldn’t.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
In Crete, Manchester City's Laura Blindkilde Brown, 23, showed glimpses of her ball-playing ability, while in the second leg 20-year-old Chelsea academy graduate Potter impressed in midfield.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
Georgieva said she was "impressed" by the spirit of cooperation between AI companies, governments and other stakeholders that she witnessed in Bangkok on the issue.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
Getting the film made the way I did impressed him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
More: Marvell just impressed Wall Street with ‘good numbers plus a better story’
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
If it hadn’t been so sad, I’d have been impressed.
From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen
So while federal agents swept Ole Miss’ building, Jones worked the phones, impressing upon deep-pocketed Mississippians the do-or-die nature of the coming weeks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
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
Despite coming under criticism early in the tournament, Spence ended up starting and impressing in England's World Cup semi-final defeat by Argentina.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Midfielder Merlin Rohl, 24, initially struggled for game time before impressing over four starts in May.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
However, if he was frightening or impressing fellow Slytherins with displays of Parseltongue in their common room, no hint of it reached the staff.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Since Sonnets thus in bundles are imprest, And euery drudge doth dull our satiate eare, Think'st thou my loue, shall in those rags be drest That euery dowdie, euery trull doth weare?
From Minor Poems of Michael Drayton by Cyril Brett
The evening on which I saw the Rhine for the first time, I was imprest with the same idea.
From Seeing Europe with Famous Authors, Volume 5 Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Switzerland, Part 1 by Francis W. (Francis Whiting) Halsey
The storied arras, source of fond delight, With old achievement charms the wilder'd sight; And still, with Heraldry's rich hues imprest, On the dim window glows the pictur'd crest.
From Poems by Samuel Rogers
In the rule given by the A.P.A. for the substitution of ed for t, lasht and imprest are given as examples.
From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 26, July 1880. by Various
This is that Henry IV., whose scene at Canossa with the Pope—Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire waiting three days in the snow to kiss the foot of excommunicative Gregory—has imprest itself on all memories.
From Seeing Europe with Famous Authors, Volume 5 Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Switzerland, Part 1 by Francis W. (Francis Whiting) Halsey
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