imprint

1 of 2

verb

imprinted; imprinting; imprints

transitive verb

1
: to mark by or as if by pressure : impress
2
a
: to fix indelibly or permanently (as on the memory)
b
: to subject to or induce by imprinting
an imprinted preference

intransitive verb

: to undergo imprinting
imprinter
im-ˈprin-tər How to pronounce imprint (audio)
ˈim-ˌprin-
noun

imprint

2 of 2

noun

im·​print ˈim-ˌprint How to pronounce imprint (audio)
: something imprinted or printed: such as
a
: a mark or depression made by pressure
the fossil imprint of a dinosaur's foot
b
: an identifying name (as of a publisher) placed conspicuously on a product
also : the name under which a publisher issues books
c
: an indelible distinguishing effect or influence

Examples of imprint in a Sentence

Verb wearing a T-shirt imprinted with the company logo a picture imprinted in my memory Noun We saw an imprint of a bike tire on the dirt trail. a fossil imprint of a dinosaur's foot
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Later that evening, Adam Lee is in the plate room imprinting digital files, produced by editors and page designers, onto aluminum sheets. Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024 Greeting voters this week in Vidor, Texas, near the Louisiana border, Mr. Phelan — wearing a white T-shirt and a camouflage hat, both imprinted with his name — bristled at his opponent’s claims that the Texas House under his leadership had not advanced conservative causes. J. David Goodman, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 Marin’s weird and hilarious flavor of stoner slapstick comedy alongside Tommy Chong has forever imprinted the Cheech and Chong names into the history books. Lindsey Bartlett, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 But the main star of the show is obviously the ability to imprint the Xbox logo into your bread like a real gamer. Tom Warren, The Verge, 4 Jan. 2024 In April 2018, the singer became the first artist to sign to RCA Records imprint Keep Cool, months after joining Brandon Silverstein’s S10 Entertainment for a management deal. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2024 Personal branding: With no prior identity to wrestle with, your personal ethos can be imprinted more directly on your business, which can often lead to stronger customer connections. Melissa Houston, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 These legends imprinted their unique styles on American fashion history, and their influence continues to resonate today, decades after their first breakout moments. Molly Peck, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024 How a charismatic crane that imprinted on her keeper could help ensure her species’ survival By Elaine Godfrey The early 2000s were an excellent time for romance. Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2024
Noun
Again Sam, an imprint of the independent [PIAS] label group. Lars Brandle, Billboard, 7 Mar. 2024 Reprinted by arrangement with Random House, an imprint of Random House and division of Penguin Random House LLC. Chris Dixon, Fortune, 10 Mar. 2024 Cole is also bringing signees from his Dreamville Records, an imprint under Interscope, including J.I.D, EarthGang, Bas, Cozz, Lute and Omen. Thania Garcia, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024 Their third album, Lazy Bones, was released in 1975 by South African imprint Teal Records and eclipsed its predecessors by selling 7,000 copies. Tracy Kawalik, SPIN, 5 Mar. 2024 Along with his studio practice, Denzer designs and publishes books under the imprint Catalog Press. Joshua Hunt, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 The artwork that resulted feels to you generic and impersonal, lacking the singular imprint of your friend’s creative mind. Meghan O'Gieblyn, WIRED, 20 Feb. 2024 Brothers will be published on Oct. 22, 2024 by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 The book is published with Forbes Books, the exclusive business book publishing imprint of Forbes, and is available today on Amazon. Forbes Partner Releases, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'imprint.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English emprenten, from Anglo-French emprient, 3rd singular of enpreindre to impress (from Latin imprimere) & empreinter, from emprent, past participle of enpreindre

Noun

Middle English enpreent, from Anglo-French emprente, from feminine of emprent, past participle of enpreindre

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of imprint was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near imprint

Cite this Entry

“Imprint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imprint. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

imprint

1 of 2 verb
im·​print im-ˈprint How to pronounce imprint (audio)
ˈim-ˌ
1
: to mark by or as if by pressure : stamp
2
: to fix firmly (as on the memory)
3
: to go through the process of imprinting

imprint

2 of 2 noun
im·​print ˈim-ˌprint How to pronounce imprint (audio)
1
: something imprinted or printed : impression
the imprint of a hippo's foot
2
: a publisher's name on the title page of a book

Medical Definition

imprint

transitive verb
im·​print im-ˈprint How to pronounce imprint (audio) ˈim-ˌ How to pronounce imprint (audio)
1
: to fix indelibly or permanently (as on the memory)
2
: to subject to or induce by imprinting
an imprinted preference
a gene imprinted to be inactive when inherited from the mother

intransitive verb

: to undergo imprinting
imprinter noun

More from Merriam-Webster on imprint

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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