impulse
Americannoun
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the influence of a particular feeling, mental state, etc..
to act under a generous impulse; to strike out at someone from an angry impulse.
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sudden, involuntary inclination prompting to action.
to be swayed by impulse.
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an instance of this.
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a psychic drive or instinctual urge.
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an impelling action or force, driving onward or inducing motion.
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the effect of an impelling force; motion induced; impetus given.
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Physiology. a progressive wave of excitation over a nerve or muscle fiber, having either a stimulating or inhibitory effect.
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Mechanics. the product of the average force acting upon a body and the time during which it acts, equivalent to the change in the momentum of the body produced by such a force.
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Electricity. a single, usually sudden, flow of current in one direction.
adjective
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marked by or acting on impulse.
an impulse buyer.
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bought or acquired on impulse.
To reduce expenses, shun impulse items when shopping.
noun
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an impelling force or motion; thrust; impetus
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a sudden desire, whim, or inclination
I bought it on an impulse
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an instinctive drive; urge
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tendency; current; trend
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physics
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the product of the average magnitude of a force acting on a body and the time for which it acts
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the change in the momentum of a body as a result of a force acting upon it for a short period of time
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physiol See nerve impulse
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electronics a less common word for pulse 1
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spontaneously or impulsively
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A sudden flow of electrical current in one direction.
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An electrical signal traveling along the axon of a neuron. Nerve impulses excite or inhibit activity in other neurons or in the tissues of the body, such as muscles and glands.
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The change of momentum of a body or physical system over a time interval in classical mechanics, equal to the force applied times the length of the time interval over which it is applied.
Etymology
Origin of impulse
First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin impulsus “incitement, pressure,” noun use of past participle of impellere “to strike against, set in motion”; impel
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This is the dynamic the economist Albert Hirschman warned about: That loyalty is what turns frustration into voice—the impulse to fix what is broken rather than flee.
Those dueling impulses, rage and reason, are the focus of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution” by Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University.
According to the NHS, it can happen if the electrical impulses in your heart are blocked or delayed.
From BBC
In fact, he was so grateful that his strongest impulse was to give C.C. a big hug as a way of saying thanks.
From Literature
“Deliberation tempers impulse, and compromise hammers disagreements into workable solutions,” he writes.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
