Definition Definition

impression - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'impression' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Impression [ n.]
- The act of impressing, or the state of being impressed; the communication of a stamp, mold, style, or character, by external force or by influence.
- That which is impressed; stamp; mark; indentation; sensible result of an influence exerted from without.
- That which impresses, or exercises an effect, action, or agency; appearance; phenomenon.
- Influence or effect on the senses or the intellect hence, interest, concern.
- An indistinct notion, remembrance, or belief.
- Impressiveness; emphasis of delivery.
- The pressure of the type on the paper, or the result of such pressure, as regards its appearance; as, a heavy impression; a clear, or a poor, impression; also, a single copy as the result of printing, or the whole edition printed at a given time.
- In painting, the first coat of color, as the priming in house painting and the like.
- A print on paper from a wood block, metal plate, or the like.

Meaning of 'impression' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . impression [ n]
Meaning (1):
- a clear and telling mental image
Example in sentence:
  • he described his mental picture of his assailant;
  • he had no clear picture of himself or his world;
  • the events left a permanent impression in his mind
Meaning (2):
- an impressionistic portrayal of a person
Example in sentence:
  • he did a funny impression of a politician
Meaning (3):
- a concavity in a surface produced by pressing
Example in sentence:
  • he left the impression of his fingers in the soft mud
Meaning (4):
- an outward appearance
Example in sentence:
  • he made a good impression;
  • I wanted to create an impression of success;
  • she retained that bold effect in her reproductions of the original painting
Meaning (5):
- a symbol that is the result of printing or engraving
Example in sentence:
  • he put his stamp on the envelope
Meaning (6):
- the act of pressing one thing on or into the surface of another
Example in sentence:
  • he watched the impression of the seal on the hot wax
Meaning (7):
- a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
Example in sentence:
  • his impression of her was favorable;
  • I had a feeling that she was lying;
  • it strengthened my belief in his sincerity;
  • what are your feelings about the crisis?
Meaning (8):
- (dentistry) an imprint of the teeth and gums in wax or plaster
Example in sentence:
  • the dentist took an impression for use in preparing an inlay
Meaning (9):
- all the copies of a work printed at one time
Example in sentence:
  • they ran off an initial printing of 2000 copies