verb
impress
To force someone into military or public service.
The navy impresses sailors from merchant ships into military service.
Etymology
Impress belongs with press gangs and compulsory recruitment. That press is associated with prest, an advance payment, not simply physical pressure.
More examples
- Officers impress unwilling men into the navy.
- The authorities impress local workers into public service.
- He was impressed into naval service against his will.
Forms
impress · impresses · impressed · impressing
impressment noun — The forcible recruitment of people into service.