noun
- the practice of forcing people to serve in the military or navy, especially by seizing them against their will
Usage: historical; especially associated with naval service
Examples
- The British practice of impressment was one of the causes of the War of 1812.
- Sailors lived in fear of impressment by naval officers.
- The captain’s impressment of local fishermen angered the coastal community.
- Impressment gangs roamed the ports looking for able-bodied men.
- Many colonists opposed impressment as a violation of their rights.
- The treaty included provisions to end the impressment of American sailors.