impressed; impressing; impresses
1
a
: to affect especially forcibly or deeply : gain the admiration or interest of
her honesty impressed us
b
: to produce a vivid impression of
2
a
: to apply with pressure so as to imprint
b
: to produce (something, such as a mark) by pressure
c
: to mark by or as if by pressure or stamping
: to produce an impression
1
: a characteristic or distinctive mark : stamp
the impress of a fresh and vital intelligence is stamped … in his work—
Lytton Strachey
Lytton Strachey2
: impression, effect
have an impress on history
3
: the act of impressing
impressed; impressing; impresses
1
: to levy or take by force for public service
especially
: to force into naval service
2
a
: to procure or enlist by forcible persuasion
b
: force
impressed him into a white coat for the Christmas festivities—Nancy Hale
Nancy HaleSynonyms
Examples of impress in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebEmma Kershaw, Peoplemag, 23 Apr. 2024
In court documents, Wilson argued that while Gulick’s actions were not directed by the New School, they were intended to impress New School leadership.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024
In spring training, Duffey impressed with his ability to pound the strike zone.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2024
From the Irish Sports Daily, a story on a freshman football player from St. John Bosco impressing at spring practice in South Bend.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
The sight of thousands of angry protestors responding to Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s radio addresses by rampaging through the streets in countries including Jordan impressed itself on Western policymakers.
—Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2024
At that meeting, Mr. Burns and other top national security officials sought to impress upon Mr. Johnson how rapidly Ukraine was running out of ammunition, and how dire the consequences would be if their air defenses were no longer reinforced by American weaponry.
—Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Every six months or so, Boston Dynamics put out a new Atlas video, with the robot running or jumping or dancing or doing parkour, leveraging its powerful hydraulics to impress us every single time.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Apr. 2024
He was also impressed by the fire response demonstration as the firefighters extinguished a one-alarm fire in one of the training buildings.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2024
Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024
The Echo Show 8 impresses with its high-quality display and versatile features.
—Maddie Michalik, Travel + Leisure, 25 Jan. 2024
The Highland Park estate at 3637 Maplewood Ave. impresses with sophisticated style from your first step in the door.
—Allie Beth Allman & Associates, Dallas News, 17 Sep. 2023
Chris Lowe’s production design impresses with the Oceanic Institute and the very cool dive suits and sea vessels.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Aug. 2023
Designed by William Briggs and built by Tom Black, the nearly 6,000-square-foot home impresses with arched doorways, spacious rooms and sophisticated fireplaces.
—Allie Beth Allman & Associates, Dallas News, 27 June 2023
About how youth is clay that responds to the impress of charismatic people and ideas.
—Melissa Holbrook Pierson, Washington Post, 22 June 2023
On the road, even the entry-level 350+ impresses, the steel suspension tending more towards soft compliance than engaging poise, but still offering a relaxing, rewarding drive experience.
—Tim Stevens, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2023
Thankfully, this always-be-dressed-to-impress rule has lightened up a bit during the pandemic, but here are a few other steadfast ways that remain.
—Sara Lieberman, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2021
Verb
Sharing a photo shoot of herself on Instagram, Phoenix dressed to impress in three of Brown’s fan-favorite looks.
—Emma Kershaw, Peoplemag, 23 Apr. 2024
In court documents, Wilson argued that while Gulick’s actions were not directed by the New School, they were intended to impress New School leadership.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024
In spring training, Duffey impressed with his ability to pound the strike zone.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2024
From the Irish Sports Daily, a story on a freshman football player from St. John Bosco impressing at spring practice in South Bend.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
The sight of thousands of angry protestors responding to Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s radio addresses by rampaging through the streets in countries including Jordan impressed itself on Western policymakers.
—Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2024
At that meeting, Mr. Burns and other top national security officials sought to impress upon Mr. Johnson how rapidly Ukraine was running out of ammunition, and how dire the consequences would be if their air defenses were no longer reinforced by American weaponry.
—Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Every six months or so, Boston Dynamics put out a new Atlas video, with the robot running or jumping or dancing or doing parkour, leveraging its powerful hydraulics to impress us every single time.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Apr. 2024
He was also impressed by the fire response demonstration as the firefighters extinguished a one-alarm fire in one of the training buildings.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2024
Noun
Monk’s costume design impresses, as Elodie must use parts of her dress to engineer her way out of dire encounters with the dragon (voiced by Shohreh Aghdashloo) and the maze of its underground lair.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024
The Echo Show 8 impresses with its high-quality display and versatile features.
—Maddie Michalik, Travel + Leisure, 25 Jan. 2024
The Highland Park estate at 3637 Maplewood Ave. impresses with sophisticated style from your first step in the door.
—Allie Beth Allman & Associates, Dallas News, 17 Sep. 2023
Chris Lowe’s production design impresses with the Oceanic Institute and the very cool dive suits and sea vessels.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Aug. 2023
Designed by William Briggs and built by Tom Black, the nearly 6,000-square-foot home impresses with arched doorways, spacious rooms and sophisticated fireplaces.
—Allie Beth Allman & Associates, Dallas News, 27 June 2023
About how youth is clay that responds to the impress of charismatic people and ideas.
—Melissa Holbrook Pierson, Washington Post, 22 June 2023
On the road, even the entry-level 350+ impresses, the steel suspension tending more towards soft compliance than engaging poise, but still offering a relaxing, rewarding drive experience.
—Tim Stevens, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2023
Thankfully, this always-be-dressed-to-impress rule has lightened up a bit during the pandemic, but here are a few other steadfast ways that remain.
—Sara Lieberman, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'impress.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near impress
Cite this Entry
“Impress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impress. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
impress
1 of 3 verb
im·press
im-ˈpres 
1
: to produce by stamping, pressing, or printing
2
a
: to fix in or on one's mind : produce a vivid impression of
the lesson was impressed on their minds
b
: to affect strongly or deeply
I am impressed by what you've done
also
: to gain the admiration or interest of
tries to impress people
impress
2 of 3 noun
im·press
ˈim-ˌpres
1
: the act of impressing
2
: a mark made by pressure
3
: a characteristic or special mark
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