Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A mark or indentation made by pressure; the figure or image of anything imparted by pressure, or as if by pressure; stamp; impression; hence, any distinguishing form or character.
- noun Semblance; appearance.
- noun Impressment.
- To press upon or against; stamp in; mark by pressure; make an impression upon.
- Hence To affect forcibly, as the mind or some one of its faculties; produce a mental effect upon: as, to
impress the memory or imagination; the matter impressed him favorably. - To produce or fix by pressure, or as if by pressure; make an impression of; imprint, literally or figuratively: as, to
impress figures on coins or plate; to impress an image on the memory. - Hence To stamp deeply on the mind; fix by inculcation.
- To be stamped or impressed; fix itself.
- noun See
imprese . - In electricity, to apply electromotive force to (a circuit) from some outside source or to create difference of potential in (a conductor).
- To compel to enter into public service, as seamen; take into service by compulsion, as nurses during an epidemic.
- To seize; take for public use: as, to
impress provisions.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb obsolete To be impressed; to rest.
- transitive verb To press, stamp, or print something in or upon; to mark by pressure, or as by pressure; to imprint (that which bears the impression).
- transitive verb To produce by pressure, as a mark, stamp, image, etc.; to imprint (a mark or figure upon something).
- transitive verb To fix deeply in the mind; to present forcibly to the attention, etc.; to imprint; to inculcate.
- transitive verb To take by force for public service.
- noun The act of impressing or making.
- noun A mark made by pressure; an indentation; imprint; the image or figure of anything, formed by pressure or as if by pressure; result produced by pressure or influence.
- noun Characteristic; mark of distinction; stamp.
- noun A device. See
Impresa . - noun The act of impressing, or taking by force for the public service; compulsion to serve; also, that which is impressed.
- noun a party of men, with an officer, employed to impress seamen for ships of war; a
press gang . - noun a sum of money paid, immediately upon their entering service, to men who have been impressed.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To
affect (someone)strongly and oftenfavourably - verb intransitive To make an
impression , to beimpressive . - verb transitive To
produce avivid impression of (something) - verb transitive To
mark orstamp (something) usingpressure - verb transitive To
compel (someone) toserve in amilitary force - verb transitive To
seize orconfiscate (property ) byforce - noun The act of
impressing - noun An impression, and impressed image or copy of something
- noun A
stamp orseal used to make an impression - noun An
impression on the mind, imagination etc.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb dye (fabric) before it is spun
- verb produce or try to produce a vivid impression of
- verb take (someone) against his will for compulsory service, especially on board a ship
- verb mark or stamp with or as if with pressure
- verb have an emotional or cognitive impact upon
- verb impress positively
- noun the act of coercing someone into government service
- verb reproduce by printing
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word impress.
Examples
-
We do endeavor, it is true, by all the powers we possess, to impress upon the mind the great importance of a good education; and not only to _impress_ it upon the mind, but to assist the mind to act, that it may obtain it.
Popular Education For the use of Parents and Teachers, and for Young Persons of Both Sexes Ira Mayhew 1854
-
The last person you'd think El Bulli would impress is a no-nonsense chef such as Anthony Bourdain, whose idea of cooking, he has said, is "exposing protein to flame."
Putting on Airs Moira Hodgson 2010
-
With last week's performance of 382 yards passing, 20 yards rushing and four touchdown passes, Fitz should be out to once again impress the pundits and fans who doubted his ability to turn this offense around.
Alyssa Jung: Could Bills-Chiefs Be the Game? Alyssa Jung 2010
-
It drew me in almost immediately whereas Enterprise failed to impress from the get-go.
-
But it's a wonderful place to visit and be in a place where they're not obsessed with being better than everyone else; they know the only people they have to impress is themselves, and they do a fine job of that.
August 2005 2005
-
She once defined madness to me as an inability to balance or impress – in other words in conversation one person says something and the other person weighs it up and replies.
An Aristocratic Ménage: Consuelo, Sunny and Gladys | Edwardian Promenade 2008
-
Balfour of Burley; and so deeply did the idea impress him, that he dropped
Old Mortality 2004
-
God by his own spirit makes the seal, the impress, which is in his own image or likeness.
-
The captain is a absolute coward and a person who risked more than 4000 life's in order to impress, which is something you simply do not do a see.....
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Clare Richardson 2012
-
Morton could not help, in his heart, contrasting him with Balfour of Burley; and so deeply did the idea impress him, that he dropped a hint of it as they rode together at some distance from the troop.
Old Mortality, Complete Walter Scott 1801
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.