impulse

American  

[im-puhls] / ˈɪm pʌls /

noun

• impulses
  plural

1. the influence of a particular feeling, mental state, etc..

   to act under a generous impulse; to strike out at someone from an angry impulse.

2. sudden, involuntary inclination prompting to action.

   to be swayed by impulse.

3. an instance of this.

4. a psychic drive or instinctual urge.

5. an impelling action or force, driving onward or inducing motion.

6. the effect of an impelling force; motion induced; impetus given.

7. Physiology. a progressive wave of excitation over a nerve or muscle fiber, having either a stimulating or inhibitory effect.

8. 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.

9. Electricity. a single, usually sudden, flow of current in one direction.

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adjective

1. marked by or acting on impulse.

   an impulse buyer.

2. bought or acquired on impulse.

   To reduce expenses, shun impulse items when shopping.

impulse British  

/ ˈɪmpʌls /

noun

1. an impelling force or motion; thrust; impetus

2. a sudden desire, whim, or inclination

   I bought it on an impulse

3. an instinctive drive; urge

4. tendency; current; trend

5. physics

   1. the product of the average magnitude of a force acting on a body and the time for which it acts

   2. the change in the momentum of a body as a result of a force acting upon it for a short period of time

6. physiol See nerve impulse

7. electronics a less common word for pulse 1

8. spontaneously or impulsively

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impulse Scientific  

/ ĭm′pŭls′ /

1. A sudden flow of electrical current in one direction.

2. 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.

3. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• impulses
  plural

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”; see impel

Explanation

An impulse is a sudden force or desire — this could be an electrical impulse, or an impulse to get some pizza. If you act on a sudden feeling or thought, you’re following an impulse. That's like a whim: an impulse isn't something you've given a lot of thought. Another meaning of impulse is an electrical charge or pulse. Electrical impulses are coursing through wires all through your house every day. Both kinds of impulses make things happen. The electrical impulse keeps the refrigerator going, and then you have an impulse to eat all the ice cream in the fridge.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

impulse impulses

Misty, we come to understand, has similar anger management and impulse control issues as her brother.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Can you talk about that impulse to make it look medical, and all the obfuscation that comes along with it, and how this attempted execution really blew that up?

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026

He left Larami in 1989 to start his own company focused on making impulse toys, like putty that can grow up to 25 times its original size when put in water.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Kennard said growing up in a quiet town had an impact on his "creative impulse".

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

Only later did I realize that the true cause of this malady was hard, merciless shivering, my muscles contracting as mechanically as if by electric impulse, all night long, every night.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Without inhibition, Ferrier believed that we’d all be slaves to our basest impulses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

The "stagflationary impulses from weaker foreign demand and higher domestic prices are going to be disproportionately felt by Canada," warned ING chief international economist James Knightley.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Examples can include speaking too loudly in a library or struggling to control impulses, difficulties that can occur with ADHD.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026

It’s meant to represent dueling impulses inside of him, he explains.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Blind impulses welled up in his body, and his intelligence sought to make them plain to his understanding by supplying images that would explain them.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Related Words

• desire
• feeling
• inclination
• influence
• instinct
• motivation
• motive
• notion
• passion
• thought
• whim
• wish