impress

impress — verb

1. to make someone feel admiration or respect for you because of your skill, talent

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to make someone feel admiration or respect for you because of your skill, talent, or personal quality

Example

The young pianist impressed the judges with her emotional performance of the sonata.

impress + someone + with + something

Hugo was trying to impress his new boss by arriving early every morning.

impress + someone + by + doing something

Common collocations
  • impress the judges
  • impress the audience
  • impress a boss
  • impress someone deeply
  • try to impress
  • be easily impressed
Synonyms
  • dazzle

    stronger, suggests overwhelming admiration through brilliance

  • inspire

    focuses on giving someone motivation or creative ideas, not just admiration

  • move

    focuses on emotional effect rather than respect or admiration

Antonyms
  • disappoint

    fails to meet expectations, opposite of earning admiration

  • dismay

    causes worry or disappointment rather than respect

Grammar Patterns

impress + someone

impress + someone + with/by + something

be impressed + by/with + something

Usage Note

Often used in the passive form: 'I was impressed by her courage.' The preposition 'by' introduces the cause of admiration, while 'with' is also common: 'I was very impressed with the quality of the work.'

Common Mistakes

His speech impressed to me.
His speech impressed me.
'impress' is transitive; no preposition needed before the person.
I am very impress by his work.
I am very impressed by his work.
Use the past participle 'impressed' in passive constructions.

2. to fix something firmly in someone's mind, memory, or imagination so that it can

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to fix something firmly in someone's mind, memory, or imagination so that it cannot be easily forgotten

Example

The teacher's final words were deeply impressed on Mauricio's memory.

passive: be impressed + on + memory

My grandmother impressed the value of hard work upon us from an early age.

impress + something + upon + someone

Common collocations
  • impress upon someone
  • impress on the mind
  • impress on memory
  • impress the importance
  • deeply impressed
Synonyms
  • instil

    more gradual, suggests teaching over time; 'instil values in someone'

  • imprint

    stronger, suggests a permanent mark; common in memory contexts

  • emphasize

    focuses on giving importance to an idea rather than fixing it in memory

Antonyms
  • overlook

    to fail to notice or consider something important

Grammar Patterns

impress + something + on/upon + someone

be impressed + on/upon + someone's mind/memory

impress + itself/themselves + on/upon + someone

Usage Note

The pattern 'impress something on/upon someone' is common in formal contexts for emphasizing important ideas or rules. In this sense, the subject is typically an idea, experience, or someone in authority. The structure 'impress + itself/themselves' describes an experience that naturally stays in the mind.

Common Mistakes

She impressed me the importance of safety.
She impressed the importance of safety upon me.
The thing being fixed in the mind (not the person) is the direct object.

3. to press a design, pattern, or words onto a surface using a tool or machine, lea

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to press a design, pattern, or words onto a surface using a tool or machine, leaving a visible mark

Example

The factory impressed the company logo onto every leather wallet before packaging.

impress + something + onto + surface

The potter impressed a flower pattern into the wet clay before firing it in the kiln.

impress + pattern + into + material

Common collocations
  • impress a pattern
  • impress a design
  • impress a seal
  • impress onto metal
  • impress into clay
  • impress with a stamp
Synonyms
  • stamp

    more common in everyday language; often implies using ink or a rubber stamp

  • emboss

    creates a raised design; more specific than impress

Grammar Patterns

impress + something + on/into/to + surface

impress + surface + with + something

be impressed + with + a pattern/mark

Usage Note

In modern everyday language, 'stamp' or 'print' are more common than 'impress' for describing physical marking. 'Impress' in this sense is more formal or technical. The object can be either the mark itself ('impress a pattern') or the surface being marked ('impress the clay').

4. to force someone to join the army, navy, or other public service against their w

4.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to force someone to join the army, navy, or other public service against their will, especially in historical contexts

Example

During the war, British sailors were sometimes impressed into service from passing merchant ships.

passive: be impressed + into + service

The navy would impress young men from coastal towns to fill their dangerously empty crews.

Common collocations
  • impressed into service
  • impressed into the navy
  • impressed against one's will
  • impressed men
Synonyms
  • conscript

    more general and modern; can be legal or illegal

  • press-gang

    specifically refers to forcing into naval service; also used as a verb

Antonyms
  • volunteer

    to join the military by choice, the opposite of being forced

Grammar Patterns

impress + someone + into + service/army/navy

Usage Note

This sense is almost exclusively used in historical descriptions of naval and military recruitment before the 19th century. The related noun 'impressment' is more common than the verb in modern writing about this practice.

impress — noun

Word family

  • impression
    nounB1
  • impressive
    adjectiveB1
  • impressively
    adverbB2
  • unimpressive
    adjectiveB2
  • unimpressed
    adjectiveB2
  • impressionable
    adjectiveC1
  • impressionist
    nounC1
  • impressionism
    nounC1
  • impressment
    nounC2
  • reimpress
    verbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Impress', 'inspire', 'influence', 'strike', and 'dazzle' all involve having an effect on someone, but they differ in what kind of effect. 'Impress' focuses on earning admiration or respect through skill or quality — a strong performance impresses the audience. 'Inspire' goes further by giving someone the motivation to do something creative or meaningful — a teacher inspires students to pursue their dreams. 'Influence' is broader and more neutral; it can change behaviour, opinions, or decisions without necessarily involving admiration — advertising influences what people buy. 'Strike' describes a sudden, often surprising mental effect — a remark strikes someone as odd or insightful. 'Dazzle' is stronger than 'impress', suggesting someone is overwhelmed by brilliance or skill, sometimes to the point of being unable to judge clearly — the magician's tricks dazzled the children. For everyday use: use 'impress' when you want to say someone earned respect; use 'inspire' when they sparked creativity or motivation; use 'strike' for a quick, sudden impression.

impress ↗inspire ↗influence ↗strike ↗dazzle

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • try to impress
  • be impressed by
  • be impressed with
  • impress upon someone
  • leave an impress on

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

'Impress' entered English in the late 14th century from Old French 'empraindre' (to press, imprint), which came from Latin 'imprimere' (to press into, imprint), formed from 'in-' (into) + 'premere' (to press). The original meaning was physical — pressing a mark onto a surface. By the 16th century, the figurative sense of 'fixing something in the mind' had developed. The sense of 'causing admiration' emerged later, in the 18th century. The 'forced military service' sense (verb/4 and noun/7) comes from a different Latin root — 'in' (into) + 'press' (to take, seize) — and appeared in the 16th century, though the two words merged into the same spelling over time.