ENGLISH
REFERENCE

impress

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈɪmˌpɹɛs// im·press General-service

v. to make someone feel admiration or respect. You do this by showing them how good, smart, or talented you are.

v. to affect someone with a feeling of admiration or respect. Transitive — requires a direct object, often a person or a group.


SIMPLE

I want to impress my new boss today.

CONTEXTUAL

She worked late every night this week to impress the management team before the big promotion.

COMPLEX

While technical skills are necessary to secure an interview, candidates often impress recruiters more through their ability to communicate complex ideas with clarity and confidence.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English impressen, from Latin impressus, perfect passive participle of imprimere (“to press into or upon, stick, stamp, or dig into”), from in (“in, upon”) + premere (“to press”).

Usage

The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. Often used with the preposition 'with' or 'by' to indicate the cause of admiration.

Pitfall

He impressed of meHe impressed meImpress is a transitive verb and takes a direct object without a preposition like 'of'.

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