He likes to give the impression that he's terribly popular and has loads of friends.

impression 是名词，来自动词 impress（留下印象），指"印象、感觉"。这个词由前缀 im-（表示"进入"）和 press（压）组成，字面意思是"压入"，引申为"在脑海中留下印记"。 在句中指"刻意营造出的某种形象或感觉"。