pulse

¹ American  

[puhls] / pʌls /

noun

1. the regular throbbing of the arteries, caused by the successive contractions of the heart, especially as may be felt at an artery, as at the wrist.

2. a single pulsation, or beat or throb, of the arteries or heart.

3. the rhythmic recurrence of strokes, vibrations, or undulations.

4. a single stroke, vibration, or undulation.

5. Electricity. a momentary, sudden fluctuation in an electrical quantity, as in voltage or current.

6. Physics. a single, abrupt emission of particles or radiation.

7. a throb of life, emotion, etc.

8. vitality.

9. the general attitude, sentiment, preference, etc., as of the public.

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verb (used without object)

• pulses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pulsed,
  past participle,  past
• pulsing
  present participle

1. to beat or throb; pulsate.

2. to beat, vibrate, or undulate.

3. Physics. to emit particles or radiation periodically in short bursts.

verb (used with object)

• pulses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pulsed,
  past participle,  past
• pulsing
  present participle

1. to cause to pulse.

2. Medicine/Medical. to administer (medication) in interrupted, often concentrated dosages to avoid unwanted side effects.

pulse ² American  

[puhls] / pʌls /

noun

1. the edible seeds of certain leguminous plants, as peas, beans, or lentils.

2. a plant producing such seeds.

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pulse ¹ British  

/ pʌls /

noun

1. the edible seeds of any of several leguminous plants, such as peas, beans, and lentils

2. the plant producing any of these seeds

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pulse ² British  

/ pʌls /

noun

1. physiol

   1. the rhythmic contraction and expansion of an artery at each beat of the heart, often discernible to the touch at points such as the wrists

   2. a single pulsation of the heart or arteries

2. physics electronics

   1. a transient sharp change in voltage, current, or some other quantity normally constant in a system

   2. one of a series of such transient disturbances, usually recurring at regular intervals and having a characteristic geometric shape

   3. Less common name: impulse.  ( as modifier )

      a pulse generator

3. 1. a recurrent rhythmic series of beats, waves, vibrations, etc

   2. any single beat, wave, etc, in such a series

4. bustle, vitality, or excitement

   the pulse of a city

5. the feelings or thoughts of a group or society as they can be measured

   the pulse of the voters

6. to be well-informed about current events

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verb

1. (intr) to beat, throb, or vibrate

2. (tr) to provide an electronic pulse to operate (a slide projector)

pulse Scientific  

/ pŭls /

1. The rhythmic expansion and contraction of the arteries as blood is pumped through them by the heart. The pulse can be felt at several parts of the body, as over the carotid and radial arteries.

2. A dose of a medication or other substance given over a short period of time, usually repetitively.

3. 1. A brief sudden change in a normally constant quantity, such as an electric current or field.

   2. Any of a series of intermittent occurrences characterized by a brief sudden change in a quantity.

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pulse Idioms  

1. see take the pulse of.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pulseless
  adjective
• unpulsing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• pulsing
  present
• pulsed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pulse
  simple
• pulses
  simple
• have pulsed
  perfect
• has pulsed
  perfect
• am pulsing
  progressive
• are pulsing
  progressive
• is pulsing
  progressive
• have been pulsing
  perfect progressive
• has been pulsing
  perfect progressive

Past

• pulsed
  simple
• had pulsed
  perfect
• was pulsing
  progressive
• were pulsing
  progressive
• had been pulsing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pulse
  simple
• will have pulsed
  perfect
• will be pulsing
  progressive
• will have been pulsing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of pulse¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English pous(e), puls(e), from Old French pous, pulse, and Latin pulsus “a beat, stroke, throb,” noun use of past participle of pellere “to push, drive, strike”

Origin of pulse²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English puls, pols, from Old French pous, pouls, pols, from Latin puls “porridge; thick pap of meal”; see also poultice

Explanation

The word pulse has many shades of meaning, but most of them involve something characterized by short, rhythmic bursts. If you’re angry, the muscles in your jaw might pulse — meaning they contract quickly in short bursts. Pulse can be a noun that describes the rhythmic pumping of blood through your veins and arteries. You’ve probably had a nurse take your pulse as a way to measure your heart rate. Pulse can refer to other things that have a rhythmic beat, like the pulse of dance music or a pulse of flashing light. The verb describes something that throbs, literally or figuratively. Your blood will pulse through your veins, or a busy city may pulse with life.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pulse pulses pulsed pulsing

So you get a track like Where Do We Go, which marries a sashaying Afrobeats rhythm to a hypnotic electronic pulse.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

If anyone knows where Hong Kong’s old street food pulse still beats, it’s them.

From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026

Auto-tracking: Screenless trackers log workouts automatically using movement and pulse readings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

That’s because it can be explained by saying that only the very front of the long-duration pulse makes it straight through the atomic cloud, while the rest is scattered.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

I can feel Autumn’s finger pulse, as if asking me what the heck is going on.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

A deep love of language pulses through Ms. Smith’s novel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

To follow the transformation, the researchers used time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy and ultrashort laser pulses lasting only six fs.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

But outrage pulses more readily through in “Freefall.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Gaofen 3 uses 'synthetic aperture radar,' or SAR, which emits microwave pulses to gather data, capturing imagery at any time of day or night, regardless of cloud cover.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

That, or a really, really angry guy has started sledgehammering the wall, such is the way the music pulses.

From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle

The bar in East Flagler Street pulsed with life and danced to the beat of the World Cup.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

Mix with pulsed chickpeas and garlic for a creamier version of hummus.

From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2026

Innovative U.S. inertial fusion energy companies, including those that use pulsed power and laser approaches, are building demonstration systems on a scale comparable to China’s facilities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026

This setup created a regularly pulsed environment that effectively kicked the atoms over and over again.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 8, 2026

My head pulsed with shame and regret, and I couldn’t bear to meet his eyes.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

The video, set to pulsing music, delivering a scathing critique of the system that he once tried to reform.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

The steady pulsing of milking machines mingled with a thumping musical beat as McAfee marched down the rows, pointing to their light pink udders.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

After an hour’s wait in the rain, they got their reward: Fireflies pulsing in sync, almost like a heartbeat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

A pulsing exploration of party culture and collective movement, it's a departure from the tender, introspective ballads on her Mercury Prize-winning debut, Collapsed In Sunbeams and its 2023 follow-up, My Soft Machine.

From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2026

Dimple felt a weird energy pulsing through her as she and Celia walked to the Andrew G. Spurlock building, where Insomnia Con was hosted every year.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

• vibration