Origin: Latin suffix -sion
Impression has 11 different meanings across 1 category:
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
"his impression of her was favorable"
"what are your feelings about the crisis?"
"it strengthened my belief in his sincerity"
"I had a feeling that she was lying"
an outward appearance
"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"
a clear and telling mental image
"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"
a concavity in a surface produced by pressing
"he left the impression of his fingers in the soft mud"
a symbol that is the result of printing or engraving
"he put his stamp on the envelope"
all the copies of a work printed at one time
"they ran off an initial printing of 2000 copies"
(dentistry) an imprint of the teeth and gums in wax or plaster
"the dentist took an impression for use in preparing an inlay"
the act of pressing one thing on or into the surface of another
"he watched the impression of the seal on the hot wax"
The indentation or depression made by the pressure of one object on or into another.
"The heavy rain left a deep impression in the soft mud near the door."
In plain English: An impression is how you feel about someone after meeting them for the first time.
"The first impression I got from her was that she is very friendly and approachable."
Usage: Use "impression" for the mental image formed in your mind rather than the physical dent left by an object's weight. Avoid confusing it with "imprint," which specifically refers to a mark created when something is pressed firmly onto a surface.
To manipulate a blank key within a lock so as to mark it with impressions of the shape of the lock, which facilitates creation of a duplicate key.
"The locksmith used a special tool to make an impression on the blank key by manipulating it inside the locked door."
In plain English: To make an impression is to leave a lasting effect on someone's mind.
"His confident smile left a good impression on everyone at the interview."
The word comes from the Old French impression, which was borrowed directly from the Latin impressio. It entered English with its original meaning of a mark or effect made by pressing something onto another surface.