impression
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a mark made by pressing something onto a surface.
a physical indentation or depression produced by the pressure of one object on or into another.
Simple“The heavy boots left a deep impression in the soft mud of the garden.”
In context“The forensic team carefully took a plaster cast of the boot impression found near the broken window.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a feeling that something is true or a vague memory of something, even if you are not sure.
a vague or indistinct notion, belief, or recollection of an event.
Simple“I have the impression that we have met somewhere before, but I cannot remember where.”
In context“The witness had the distinct impression that a second vehicle was involved, though she could not provide a specific description.”
UsageOften used in the phrase 'under the impression'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
an instance of an advertisement or a post being shown on a screen.
a metric representing a single instance of a digital advertisement or content being displayed to a user.
Simple“The social media post reached over ten thousand impressions in just one hour.”
In context“While the campaign generated a high number of impressions, the actual click-through rate remained disappointingly low.”
UsageUsually plural in marketing contexts.
Teacher's tipDistinguish this from 'reach', which counts unique users rather than total views.
- 04 C2 Proficiency
all the copies of a book printed at one time.
a set of copies of a publication printed at one time from the same type or plates.
Simple“The first impression of the novel sold out within days of its release.”
In context“Bibliophiles often distinguish between the first and second impressions of a first edition based on minor typographical corrections.”
Teacher's tipIn modern publishing, 'printing' is more common than 'impression' for general learners.
Usage general impression · impression outweigh
From Old French impression, from Latin impressio. Equivalent to impress + -ion.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.