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Glite Dictionary
👏 To make admire 🔏 To stamp ⚓ To force to serve ⚓ Forced service

to impress

6 9.9
To force someone to serve on a ship or in the navy
  • verb
  • /ɪmˈprɛs/
  • NSFW
translation icon : reclutar por la fuerza
  • The government decided to impress men for military service as the need for soldiers grew.

Examples

  • Naval law demands it when you impress a man into sea duty.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • But Britain especially angered Americans by impressing (forcing) captured U.S. sailors to work on its ships.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • In that fight, an impressing officer of the Royal Navy was killed.

    Unconquered (1947)

  • During the war, the British Navy would impress able-bodied men to serve on their ships against their will.

  • Many sailors were impressed into the naval service during the conflicts of the early 19th century.

Synonyms

to conscript
vsto impress
9 7.2

To force someone to join the army by law

seizes people and forces service without relying on legal authority
to shanghai
vsto impress
  • NSFW
1 9.3

Force someone to join a ship's crew by tricking or threatening them

seizes people directly and forces them to serve by physical capture

Antonyms

to release
∞ 1.8

To let someone or something go free from being held

to discharge
  • Formal
100 4.4

Officially release someone from a duty, job, or responsibility

Idioms

dressed to impress
  • Informal
1 5.6

Wearing smart, attractive clothes so other people notice you

Phrasal Verbs

to impress someone
3 2.6

To make someone admire or respect you

to fail to impress
2 4.1

Not make people think something is good or special

Surface Forms

impress infinitive
impressed past
impressed past participle
impressing present participle
impresses third person singular

Morphology

impress = press (semi-transparent) = im + press

The sense 'to seize and force into service' is a historical extension of 'press' meaning 'to force'; the relation is present but the usage is archaic/registered and may not be clear to all learners.

Etymology

The verb impress meaning to seize people for service comes from the idea of 'pressing' them into duty. This is the same 'press' idea seen in the old press gangs, so to impress someone was to force them into work.