impress
impress Lexical Profile
impress Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To make someone feel admiration and respect.
"Her thorough knowledge of the subject really impressed the interview panel."
To fix an idea or the importance of something firmly in someone's mind.
"Our mentor impressed upon us the need for strict ethical standards in research."
To apply pressure so as to leave a mark, pattern, or indentation on a surface.
"The potter impressed a delicate leaf pattern into the wet clay."
To force someone to serve in a military or naval force, or to seize property for public use (historical).
"In the eighteenth century, merchant sailors were frequently impressed into the royal navy."
• noun
A mark, indentation, or figure made by pressing or stamping onto a surface.
"The wax seal bore the clear impress of the royal signet ring."
A distinctive characteristic, quality, or lasting influence left on something.
"The city's architecture still bears the unmistakable impress of its colonial past."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a verb, 'impress' takes stress on the second syllable (im-PRESS), whereas the less common noun form takes stress on the first syllable (IM-press).
• Rhymes for impress
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English impressen, borrowed from Latin impressus, the past participle of imprimere ('to press into or upon'), formed from in- ('into, upon') and premere ('to press'). The historical sense 'to force into service' evolved separately as an alteration of 'imprest'.