impulse
noun
1. an instinctive motive
- profound religious impulses
Similar word(s): urge
Definition categories: motive, motivation, need
2. a sudden desire
- he bought it on an impulse
Similar word(s): caprice, whim
Definition categories: feeling, desire
3. the electrical discharge that travels along a nerve fiber
- they demonstrated the transmission of impulses from the cortex to the hypothalamus
Definition categories: event
4. (electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients)
Similar word(s): pulsation, pulse, pulsing
Definition categories: event, undulation, wave
5. the act of applying force suddenly
- the impulse knocked him over
Similar word(s): impetus, impulsion
Definition categories: act, drive, thrust
6. an impelling force or strength
Similar word(s): momentum
Definition categories: attribute, force, forcefulness, strength
Sentences with impulse as a noun:
- The impulse to learn drove me to study night and day.
- When I saw the new dictionary, I couldn't resist the impulse to browse through it.
- The total impulse from the impact will depend on the kinetic energy of the bullet.
verb
1. (obsolete) To impel; to incite.