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⇱ IMPRINT Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com


imprint

American  
[im-print, im-print] / ˈɪm prɪnt, ɪmˈprɪnt /

noun

  1. a mark made by pressure; a mark or figure impressed or printed on something.

  2. any impression or impressed effect.

    He left the imprint of his thought on all succeeding scholars.

  3. Bibliography.

    1. the name of a book's publisher printed on the title page or elsewhere, usually with the place and date of publication.

    2. the statement of such information in a bibliographic description of a printed work.

    3. a name, title, or other designation by which all or certain specific books of a publisher are identified.

  4. any marketing name used by a company or organization for a product line; brand or label.

  5. the printer's name and address as indicated on any printed matter.


verb (used with object)

  1. to impress (a quality, character, distinguishing mark, etc.).

  2. to produce (a mark) on something by pressure.

  3. to bestow, as a kiss.

  4. to fix firmly on the mind, memory, etc.

  5. Animal Behavior, Psychology. to acquire or establish by imprinting.

  6. to make an imprint upon.

verb (used without object)

  1. to make an impression; have an effect.

imprint British  

noun

  1. a mark or impression produced by pressure, printing, or stamping

  2. a characteristic mark or indication; stamp

    the imprint of great sadness on his face

  3. the publisher's name and address, usually with the date of publication, in a book, pamphlet, etc

  4. the printer's name and address on any printed matter

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to produce (a mark, impression, etc) on (a surface) by pressure, printing, or stamping

    to imprint a seal on wax

    to imprint wax with a seal

  2. to establish firmly; impress; stamp

    to imprint the details on one's mind

  3. (of young animals) to undergo the process of imprinting

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • imprinter noun
  • reimprint verb (used with object)
  • unimprinted adjective

Etymology

Origin of imprint

1325–75; im- 1 + print; replacing Middle English empreynten < Middle French empreinter, derivative of empreinte, feminine past participle of empreindre < Latin imprimere to impress 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They’ve slugged it out on the metalcore and heavy rock circuit for a decade, signed to the small-ish but influential imprint Sumerian Records.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

He was a hungry editor at a new imprint who needed to take risks to compete.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

Greeley succeeds Jonathan Karp, who was named CEO in May 2020 and last August said he would step down as CEO and launch a new Simon & Schuster imprint called Simon Six.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

At a previous High Court hearing, lawyers for Matt Goodwin and his election agent Adam Rawlinson acknowledged some election leaflets had failed to include a "statutory imprint", something which constituted "inadvertent illegal practice".

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026

“Your eyas is very hungry. I don’t want to feed her. She will imprint on me and think she’s a person. Then she will never mate with her kind.”

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.