impress
impress — verb
1. to make someone feel admiration or respect for you because of your skill, talent
to make someone feel admiration or respect for you because of your skill, talent, or personal quality
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
What impressed me most about Ritu was her ability to stay calm during the crisis.
The restaurant's expensive menu did not impress Joshua, who preferred simple home-cooked food.
Eshe impressed everyone in the office when she solved the technical problem in under an hour.
- disappoint
fails to meet expectations, opposite of earning admiration
- dismay
causes worry or disappointment rather than respect
文法句型
impress + someone
impress + someone + with/by + something
be impressed + by/with + something
用法筆記
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.'
常見錯誤
2. to fix something firmly in someone's mind, memory, or imagination so that it can
to fix something firmly in someone's mind, memory, or imagination so that it cannot be easily forgotten
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
The beauty of the mountain landscape impressed itself forever on Christopher's imagination.
The manager impressed on her team the need to meet every single deadline.
It was impressed upon all students that cheating would not be tolerated.
- overlook
to fail to notice or consider something important
文法句型
impress + something + on/upon + someone
be impressed + on/upon + someone's mind/memory
impress + itself/themselves + on/upon + someone
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
3. to press a design, pattern, or words onto a surface using a tool or machine, lea
to press a design, pattern, or words onto a surface using a tool or machine, leaving a visible mark
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
Gold lettering was impressed on the cover of the book using a special heated press.
Ziad impressed his initials onto the wooden box with a small metal stamp and a hammer.
文法句型
impress + something + on/into/to + surface
impress + surface + with + something
be impressed + with + a pattern/mark
用法筆記
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
to force someone to join the army, navy, or other public service against their will, especially in historical contexts
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.
Many of the crew members had been impressed against their will and tried to escape at the first port.
Historical documents show that impressment was a major cause of public anger in eighteenth-century Britain.
- conscript
more general and modern; can be legal or illegal
- press-gang
specifically refers to forcing into naval service; also used as a verb
- volunteer
to join the military by choice, the opposite of being forced
文法句型
impress + someone + into + service/army/navy
用法筆記
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
1. a distinctive quality, feature, or style that clearly shows the origin, maker, o
a distinctive quality, feature, or style that clearly shows the origin, maker, or character of someone or something
The old building bears the impress of its famous architect in every hallway and window.
bear the impress of
Her writing carries the unmistakable impress of someone who grew up in a small fishing town by the sea.
The pottery from that region has a distinctive impress that makes it easy to identify even from a distance.
Even after many years of changes, the garden still shows the impress of its original designer.
文法句型
the impress + of + something
2. a strong and lasting effect or influence that someone or something has on a pers
a strong and lasting effect or influence that someone or something has on a person, society, or situation
The teacher left a deep impress on the minds of all her students over the years.
leave an impress on
The impress of ancient Roman culture can still be seen in modern systems of law and government.
the impress of [something] on [something]
His years of travel left a permanent impress on his view of the world and other cultures.
The impress of the musician's unique style is clear in every song on the album.
文法句型
the impress + of + something + on/upon + something
3. the action or process of pressing a pattern, design, or words onto a surface usi
the action or process of pressing a pattern, design, or words onto a surface using a tool or machine
The impress of the royal seal onto the hot wax took only a moment but lasted for centuries.
The ancient method of impress used a heavy wooden press to stamp colourful patterns onto cotton cloth.
method of impress
The impress of the coin design required precise control of pressure to capture every small detail.
This machine performs the impress of the manufacturer's name onto every product that comes off the line.
- stamping
more common in everyday language for the action of pressing a mark
4. a physical mark or dent left on a surface when something is pressed into it
a physical mark or dent left on a surface when something is pressed into it
The impress of a leaf was clearly visible in the dried mud after the rain stopped.
the impress of [object] in [surface]
Dewi studied the impress of ancient writing on the clay tablet under a bright light.
The impress of the door key was still visible on the soft wax after the blacksmith pressed it.
Archaeologists found the impress of a Roman coin preserved in the soil near the old market site.
- imprint
more common; a mark made by pressing
- indentation
a cut or dent in a surface; suggests deeper pressing
文法句型
an impress + of + something + in/on + surface
用法筆記
In this sense, the object pressed (leaf, coin, key) appears after 'of', and the surface appears after 'in' or 'on'.
5. a picture, shape, or pattern produced on a surface by pressing a tool or object
a picture, shape, or pattern produced on a surface by pressing a tool or object with a design against it
The impress of the butterfly's delicate wings was perfectly preserved in the soft stone.
The artist created an impress of a hand by carefully pressing it into the wet plaster before it dried.
create an impress of
Each coin had a different impress depending on the mold and the city where it was made.
The impress of the decorative stamp added an elegant border to the wedding invitation.
- imprint
more general; a mark or pattern produced by pressure
文法句型
an impress + of + something
6. something that has been created or shaped by the influence, pressure, or charact
something that has been created or shaped by the influence, pressure, or character of a person, force, or set of circumstances
The novel is clearly the impress of the author's difficult childhood experiences in rural poverty.
the impress of [experience]
This style of architecture is the impress of political and social changes that swept through the nineteen thirties.
The music of that period bears the impress of the industrial revolution and the growth of cities.
The garden was the impress of her desire to bring order and beauty to a chaotic world around her.
- product
a result of a process; less artistic, more neutral
- reflection
something that shows or mirrors a particular quality or situation
文法句型
the impress + of + something
7. the historical practice of forcing people to join the military, especially the n
the historical practice of forcing people to join the military, especially the navy, against their will
Impressment was one of the main causes of tension between Britain and the American colonies before the war.
The practice of impressment ended in most European countries during the course of the nineteenth century.
practice of impressment
Many coastal towns lost large numbers of their young men to impressment by the Royal Navy.
The captain was widely known for his aggressive impressment of sailors from passing merchant vessels.
- conscription
more general and modern; legally authorized compulsory military service
- voluntary enlistment
choosing to join the military by free will
用法筆記
The noun 'impressment' is far more common than the verb in this sense. It is primarily used in historical discussions of 17th—19th century naval recruitment.