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
- impresser noun
- impressible adjective
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”; im- 1, press 1, print
Origin of impress2
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.
Alipio was impressed by how well Matthews performed on short notice.
From Los Angeles Times
Epstein, 15 years older, massively richer and deeply connected with elite circles in the US, is clearly the senior partner, with Stern coming across as the young student, always eager to impress.
From BBC
The company’s shares slipped yet again in February as Gartner provided a tepid outlook for 2026 and posted quarterly earnings that failed to impress Wall Street.
From Barron's
The company’s shares slipped yet again in February as Gartner provided a tepid outlook for 2026 and posted quarterly earnings that failed to impress Wall Street.
From Barron's
“With stocks like Nvidia so consistently beating market expectations, it becomes difficult to know exactly what they have to do to impress the markets,” said Scope Markets analyst Joshua Mahony.
From Barron's
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.
