pulse

[ puhls ]

/ pʌls /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pulse ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

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

the rhythmic recurrence of strokes, vibrations, or undulations.

a single stroke, vibration, or undulation.

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

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

a throb of life, emotion, etc.

vitality.

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

verb (used without object), pulsed, puls·ing.

to beat or throb; pulsate.

to beat, vibrate, or undulate.

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

verb (used with object), pulsed, puls·ing.

to cause to pulse.

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

Nearby words

Origin of pulse

1300–50; < Latin pulsus a beat, equivalent to *peld-, base of pellere to set in motion by beating or striking (cf. impel) + -tus, suffix of v. action, with dt < s and backing and raising of e before velar l; replacing Middle English pous < Middle French < Latin, as above

Related formsun·puls·ing, adjective

Definition for pulse (2 of 2)

pulse

[ puhls ]

/ pʌls /

noun

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

a plant producing such seeds.

Origin of pulse

1250–1300; Middle English puls < Latin: thick pap of meal, pulse. See poultice

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pulse

Add the water mixture all at once and pulse until the mixture just comes together.
Make ‘The Chew’s’ Carla Hall’s Pumpkin Pecan Pie|Carla Hall|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“There was still no pulse, not even the smallest bit,” Johnson says.
'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The cop lay open-eyed with a grievous head wound as Johnson again checked for a pulse.
'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The pulse of the music gives the film a thrilling kind of unity.
The Stacks: Pauline Kael's Talking Heads Obsession|Pauline Kael|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

However, in calm, deep wave sleep, breathing and pulse is slow and regular, and movements are more than rare, he says.
The Tracker That Might Actually Help You Sleep Better|DailyBurn|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The pulse of an infant, or of a man of small stature, is more frequent than that of a grown person, or a man of a large size.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IV (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
Let us go now and see how my poor people are doing, and feel their pulse a little.
The Children's Book of Thanksgiving Stories|Various
Dr. Kirk found by an accidental experiment on himself that it acts by lowering the pulse.
A Popular Account of Dr. Livingstone's Expedition to the Zambesi and Its Tributaries|David Livingstone
In Saugor the food served consists only of rice and pulse without vegetables or other dishes.
The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India - Volume IV of IV|R.V. Russell
During such attacks the respirations may slow down to fifteen or below, though usually the pulse is inclined to be rapid.
Psychotherapy|James J. Walsh

British Dictionary definitions for pulse (1 of 2)

pulse

/ (pʌls) /

noun

physiol

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
a single pulsation of the heart or arteries

physics electronics

a transient sharp change in voltage, current, or some other quantity normally constant in a system
one of a series of such transient disturbances, usually recurring at regular intervals and having a characteristic geometric shape
(as modifier)a pulse generator Less common name: impulse

a recurrent rhythmic series of beats, waves, vibrations, etc
any single beat, wave, etc, in such a series

bustle, vitality, or excitementthe pulse of a city

the feelings or thoughts of a group or society as they can be measuredthe pulse of the voters

keep one's finger on the pulse to be well-informed about current events

verb

(intr) to beat, throb, or vibrate

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

Derived Formspulseless, adjective

Word Origin for pulse

C14 pous, from Latin pulsus a beating, from pellere to beat

British Dictionary definitions for pulse (2 of 2)

pulse

/ (pʌls) /

noun

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

the plant producing any of these seeds

Word Origin for pulse

C13 pols, from Old French, from Latin puls pottage of pulse

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pulse (1 of 3)

pulse

n.1

"a throb, a beat," early 14c., from Old French pous, pulse (late 12c., Modern French pouls) and directly from Latin pulsus (in pulsus venarum "beating from the blood in the veins"), past participle of pellere "to push, drive," from PIE *pel- (6) "to thrust, strike, drive" (cf. Greek pallein "to wield, brandish, swing," pelemizein "to shake, cause to tremble"). Extended usages from 16c. Figurative use for "life, vitality, essential energy" is from 1530s.

Word Origin and History for pulse (1 of 3)

pulse

n.2

"peas, beans, lentils," late 13c., from Old French pouls, pols and directly from Latin puls "thick gruel, porridge, mush," probably via Etruscan, from Greek poltos "porridge" made from flour, from PIE *pel- (1) "dust, flour" (see pollen; also cf. poultice).

Word Origin and History for pulse (2 of 3)

pulse

"to beat, throb," early 15c., from pulse (n.1) or else from Latin pulsare "to beat, throb," and in part from French. Related: Pulsed; pulsing.

Medicine definitions for pulse

pulse

[ pŭls ]

n.

The rhythmical dilation of arteries produced when blood is pumped outward by regular contractions of the heart, especially as palpated at the wrist or in the neck.

Science definitions for pulse

pulse

[ pŭls ]

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.

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

A brief sudden change in a normally constant quantity, such as an electric current or field.
Any of a series of intermittent occurrences characterized by a brief sudden change in a quantity.

Idioms and Phrases with pulse

pulse

see take the pulse of.

pulse

noun

verb (used without object), pulsed, puls·ing.

verb (used with object), pulsed, puls·ing.

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Origin of pulse

Definition for pulse (2 of 2)

pulse

noun

Origin of pulse

Examples from the Web for pulse

British Dictionary definitions for pulse (1 of 2)

pulse

noun

verb

Word Origin for pulse

British Dictionary definitions for pulse (2 of 2)

pulse

noun

Word Origin for pulse

Word Origin and History for pulse (1 of 3)

pulse

Word Origin and History for pulse (1 of 3)

pulse

Word Origin and History for pulse (2 of 3)

pulse

Medicine definitions for pulse

pulse

n.

Science definitions for pulse

pulse

Idioms and Phrases with pulse

pulse