imprint

imprint — verb

1. to press a design, pattern, or mark into the outer layer of something, making a

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to press a design, pattern, or mark into the outer layer of something, making a visible shape or hollow that stays there.

Example

The artist imprinted her signature on the clay cup before it went into the kiln.

imprint + signature + on + surface (object as pattern)

Nkechi pressed the rubber stamp firmly to imprint the company logo onto each envelope.

Common collocations
  • imprint a design/pattern/logo/signature
  • imprint on clay/leather/paper/cement
  • imprinted in stone/metal
Synonyms
  • stamp

    more specific — uses a tool or device to apply the mark

  • emboss

    raises the design above the surface instead of pressing it in

  • engrave

    cuts into a hard surface with a sharp tool; more technical

Antonyms
  • erase

    removes a mark instead of leaving one

Grammar Patterns

imprint + object + on/into + surface

Usage Note

Often followed by on or onto to specify the surface being marked. The passive form (be imprinted) is very common when describing a result rather than an action.

Common Mistakes

She imprinted the paper with a stamp.
She pressed a stamp onto the paper to imprint a design.
imprint takes the pattern/mark as its direct object, not the surface.

2. to cause an image, experience, or idea to stay so firmly in someone's thoughts o

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to cause an image, experience, or idea to stay so firmly in someone's thoughts or feelings that it is very hard to remove — for example, how the sight of a car crash can remain in a witness's mind for years.

Example

The kindness of a stranger was imprinted on Asher's memory for the rest of his life.

passive: be imprinted on + memory

That final conversation imprinted itself on Léa's mind, and she often thought about it afterwards.

reflexive: imprint itself on + mind

Common collocations
  • imprinted on memory/mind/heart/brain
  • deeply/powerfully/indelibly imprinted
  • imprint itself/themselves
Synonyms
  • ingrain

    more informal, suggests a habit or attitude rather than a single memory

  • embed

    can be physical or mental; slightly less intense than imprint

  • stamp

    suggests an abrupt, forceful fixing in the mind

Antonyms
  • forget

    the opposite outcome — the memory fades or disappears

Grammar Patterns

imprint + something + on/in + memory/mind

be imprinted on + memory/mind

Usage Note

Frequently used in the passive or with a reflexive pronoun (imprint itself on). The direct object is typically an image, experience, or idea rather than a person. Distinguish from sense 1, which involves physical pressure on a surface.

Common Mistakes

I imprinted the movie.
The movie imprinted itself on my memory.
the thing remembered is the subject; the mind is the location.

imprint — noun

Word family

  • imprinted
    adjectiveB2
  • imprinting
    nounC1
  • imprinter
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words involve making a mark on a surface, but they differ in method and result. Stamp means to apply a mark using a tool with ink or paint, usually quickly and repeatedly — you stamp a date on a receipt. Emboss creates a raised design by pressing the reverse side, so the image stands up from the surface, like an embossed gold letter on a wedding invitation. Engrave cuts into a hard material (metal, glass, stone) with a sharp tool or acid, producing a permanent, precise groove — a jeweller engraves a name on the back of a watch. Print is the broadest term, covering any method of transferring an image, from a printing press to a home printer. Imprint falls between stamp and emboss: it presses a design into a softer surface (clay, leather, cement) without necessarily using ink or raising the design.

stamp ↗embossengrave ↗print ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • leave an imprint
  • make an imprint
  • bear the imprint of
  • under the imprint of

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Imprint entered English in the 1300s from Old French empreinter, meaning 'to stamp or impress,' which came from Latin imprimere — a combination of in- ('into') and premere ('to press'). The modern spelling was influenced by the Latin form. The noun sense 'publisher's name on a book' appeared in the early 1600s with the rise of printed books requiring official identification. The figurative sense of lasting mental influence developed naturally from the physical act of pressing a mark into a surface.