Meaning & use
a first impression
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Meaning
phrasecountable
The opinion or feeling you get about someone or something when you first encounter them.
Grammar: Countable noun phrase. Often used in the plural: 'first impressions'. You can 'make a first impression' or 'give a first impression'.
Patterns
- make a first impression
- first impression of someone
- first impressions count
Her confident handshake made a good first impression on the interviewer.
First impressions can be misleading; get to know someone before judging.
What was your first impression of the city?
Word forms
| plural | first impressions |
|---|
Common combinations
- make a good first impression
- Remember to smile if you want to make a good first impression.
- first impression of
- My first impression of the hotel was that it was very clean.
- first impressions count
- In business, first impressions count, so dress professionally.
Synonyms and how they differ
- initial impression
- More formal, often used in reports or analyses.
- snap judgment
- Emphasizes a quick, often unfair decision based on little information.
Practice
It's important to ___ a good first impression at a job interview.
Choose one answer.
The correct verb is 'make' – you make an impression. 'Do' is not used, 'take' would mean you receive an impression, and 'give' is less common but possible in some contexts; however 'make' is the standard collocation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a first impression”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.