Meaning & use

impress

verb·Everyday

To make someone feel admiration or respect through one's abilities or qualities.

See it in a sentence

She hoped her portfolio would impress the hiring committee.

The young pianist impressed the audience with her flawless performance.

A note on using this word

Impress can also mean to press a mark firmly into a surface, as in impressing a seal into wax.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

disappoint

Another way to use it

2. verb

To press a mark or shape firmly into a surface.

The blacksmith impressed his maker's stamp into the hot metal.

Make it your own

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