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)

pulsed, pulsing

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)

pulsed, pulsing

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

• pulseless adjective
• unpulsing adjective

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 pulse¹

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

Example Sentences

Each stage comes with its own rules, and nothing ruins the mood faster than a gift that’s too earnest too soon, or so generic it could have been purchased for anyone with a pulse.

From The Wall Street Journal

In PAT, tissue molecules that absorb light vibrate after being hit by short laser pulses, producing acoustic signals that can be measured and converted into detailed images.

From Science Daily

You’ve got to hold the wood, warm to it, feel the beat of its pulse.

From Literature

This research is part of a larger effort to develop terahertz light sources that do more than emit pulses, with an emphasis on shaping those pulses for practical use.

From Science Daily

They take Tūtū’s pulse, listen to her chest with a stethoscope.

From Literature

Related Words

• vibration