Meaning of impress in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions
  3. Noun
    1. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /ɪmˈprɛs/

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  1. Verb

    impress

    Etymology

    late Middle English (in the sense ‘apply with pressure’): from Old French empresser, from em-‘in’ + presser‘to press’, influenced by Latin imprimere (see imprint). impress (sense 1 of the verb) dates from the mid 18th century

    Definitions

    1. have an emotional or cognitive impact upon

    Examples

    • « This child impressed me as unusually mature »
    • « This behavior struck me as odd »

    Derived terms

  2. 2. impress positively

    Examples

    • « The young chess player impressed her audience »
  3. 3. produce or try to produce a vivid impression of

    Examples

    • « Mother tried to ingrain respect for our elders in us »

    Derived terms

  4. 4. mark or stamp with or as if with pressure

    Examples

    • « To make a batik, you impress a design with wax »

    Derived terms

  5. 5. reproduce by printing

    Derived terms

  6. 6. take (someone) against his will for compulsory service, especially on board a ship

    Examples

    • « The men were shanghaied after being drugged »

    Derived terms

  7. 7. dye (fabric) before it is spun

  8. Noun

    impress

    Definitions

    1. the act of coercing someone into government service

    Derived terms

Famous quotes

  • « Trust me, the only real way to understand 'Chic' is in highfalutin terms. Our chord progressions were based on European modal melodies. I made those early 'Chic' records to impress my jazz friends. »
    Nile Rodgers
  • « If there hadn't been women we'd still be squatting in a cave eating raw meat, because we made civilization in order to impress our girlfriends. »
    Orson Welles
  • « Our business is infested with idiots who try to impress by using pretentious jargon. »
    David Ogilvy
  • « So it is in poetry. All we ask is that the mood recorded shall impress us as having been of the kind that exhausts the imaginative capacity if it fails to do this the failure will announce itself either in prose or in insignificant verse. »
    John Drinkwater
  • « It's easy to impress me. I don't need a fancy party to be happy. Just good friends, good food, and good laughs. I'm happy. I'm satisfied. I'm content. »
    Maria Sharapova

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