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

impress

1 9.9
The act of forcing people to serve on ships or in the navy
  • noun
  • /ɪmˈprɛs/
  • NSFW
translation icon : alistamiento forzoso

Synonyms

levy
vsimpress
  • Archaic
9 8.0

An official order that makes people join the army

is about forcing service by compulsion or without consent rather than formal enlistment
conscription
vsimpress
  • Formal
7 8.2

A system that by law makes people serve in the military

is about forcing individuals to serve without consent rather than legal, law-based requirement
impressment
vsimpress
  • Archaic
1 9.9

The act of forcing people to join the navy without their permission

is narrower, applying specifically to military or navy service not general government roles

Antonyms

volunteer
710 2.2

A person who offers to help without being paid

Idioms

dressed to impress
  • Informal
1 5.6

Wearing smart, attractive clothes so other people notice you

How Compulsory

impress
  • NSFW
1 9.9
to levy
  • Archaic
1 7.2
to call up
  • Specialized
29 4.4
to recruit
277 3.2

Surface Forms

impress singular
impresses plural

Morphology

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

The noun denotes the action/result of 'pressing into service'; historically connected to 'press' but the institutional/compulsory sense may be unfamiliar to learners.

Etymology

The noun impress for the act of forcing people into the military comes from the verb meaning 'press into service' and was often called impressment. That's why the noun names the practice of taking men by force to serve.