# imprint

/ˈɪmpɹɪnt/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/imprint
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. a physical mark

noun · CEFR B2

a mark or shape made by pressing something onto a surface.

For teachers: a physical mark or indentation produced by pressure or printing.

- We found the sharp imprint of a boot in the soft mud near the gate.
- The fossil preserved the delicate imprint of a fern leaf, showing every vein in remarkable detail despite the passage of millions of years.

### 3. publishing brand

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a name used by a publisher for a specific group of books.

For teachers: a trade name under which a specific category of books is published, often within a larger publishing house.

- The company launched a new imprint dedicated to science fiction novels.
- Although the parent corporation is massive, this small imprint maintains a reputation for high-quality experimental poetry.

### 5. animal behavior

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical

when a young animal learns to recognize and follow a parent or leader.

For teachers: to undergo a rapid learning process during a critical period, whereby a young animal establishes a social attachment to an object or organism.

- The ducklings began to imprint on the scientist who raised them from eggs.
- Ethologists observed that the hatchlings would imprint on the first moving object they encountered, regardless of whether it was their biological mother.

## Examples

- The hiker found a clear boot imprint in the soft mud.
- The childhood summers spent at his grandmother's farm left a permanent imprint on his artistic style.
- Archaeologists carefully brushed away the silt to reveal the fossilized imprint of a prehistoric fern, preserved in remarkable detail within the sedimentary rock.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.