impressions

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of impression.

   Visitors left the museum with lasting impressions of the exhibit.

   The detective took wax impressions of the footprints at the scene.

   Note

   The plural belongs to the countable uses, and its feel changes from one meaning to the next. Wax or plaster impressions are physical marks pressed into a surface. First impressions are effects left on a mind. A comedian's impressions are imitations of other people. In online advertising, impressions are a count of how many times a post or ad was shown.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of impression.

   Note

   A locksmith's verb. Someone who impressions a blank works a key blank inside a lock until the lock's shape leaves marks on it, and those marks guide the cutting of a duplicate key. It is spelled exactly like the noun plural, but a singular subject shows it is the verb: she impressions the blank, but the impressions on it.

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