Link Centre Dictionary

impulse

im·pulse

UK/ˈɪmpʌls/ US/ˌɪˈmpʌls/ fairly common

noun

1.

an instinctive motive

  • “profound religious impulses”
Synonyms
2.

a sudden desire

  • “he bought it on an impulse”
Synonyms
3.

the electrical discharge that travels along a nerve fiber

  • “they demonstrated the transmission of impulses from the cortex to the hypothalamus”
Synonyms
4.

(electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients)

  • “the pulsations seemed to be coming from a star”
Synonyms
5.

the act of applying force suddenly

  • “the impulse knocked him over”
Synonyms
6.

an impelling force or strength

  • “the car”
Synonyms

Origin

Borrowed from Middle French impulser, from Latin impulsus.

Phrases

  • impulse buy
  • impulse buyer
  • impulse buying
  • impulse control disorder
  • impulse function
  • impulse good
  • impulse noise
  • impulse purchase

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.