impulse


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im·pulse

 (ĭm′pŭls′)
n.
1.
a. An impelling force; an impetus.
b. The motion produced by such a force.
2. A sudden wish or urge that prompts an unpremeditated act or feeling; an abrupt inclination: had an impulse to run away; an impulse of regret that made me hesitate; bought a hat on impulse.
3. A motivating force or tendency: "Respect for the liberty of others is not a natural impulse in most men" (Bertrand Russell).
4. Electronics A surge of electrical power in one direction.
5. Physics The product obtained by multiplying the average value of a force by the time during which it acts. The impulse equals the change in momentum produced by the force in this time interval.
6. Physiology The electrochemical transmission of a signal along a nerve fiber that produces an excitatory or inhibitory response at a target tissue, such as a muscle or another nerve.
adj.
Characterized by impulsiveness or acting on impulse: an impulse shopper; impulse buying.

[Latin impulsus, from past participle of impellere, to impel; see impel.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

impulse

(ˈɪmpʌls)
n
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. (General Physics) physics
a. the product of the average magnitude of a force acting on a body and the time for which it acts
b. the change in the momentum of a body as a result of a force acting upon it for a short period of time
6. (Physiology) physiol See nerve impulse
7. (Electronics) electronics a less common word for pulse12
8. on impulse spontaneously or impulsively
[C17: from Latin impulsus a pushing against, incitement, from impellere to strike against; see impel]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

im•pulse

(ˈɪm pʌls)

n.
1. the influence of a particular feeling, mental state, etc.: a generous impulse.
2. sudden, involuntary inclination prompting to action: swayed by impulse.
3. an instance of this: an impulse to cry.
4. an impelling action or force driving onward or inducing motion.
5. the effect of an impelling force.
6. a progressive wave of excitation over a nerve or muscle fiber having a stimulating or inhibitory effect.
7. 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.
8. a single, usu. sudden, flow of electric current in one direction.
[1640–50; < Latin impulsus pressure, impulse <impul-, variant s. of impellere to strike against; see impel]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

im·pulse

(ĭm′pŭls′)
1. A usually sudden flow of electrical current in one direction. Impulses typically occur as single events.
2. An electrical signal traveling along the axon of a nerve cell. Nerve impulses excite or inhibit activity in other nerve cells or in the tissues of the body, such as muscles and glands.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.impulse - an instinctive motiveimpulse - an instinctive motive; "profound religious impulses"
motivation, motive, need - the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior; "we did not understand his motivation"; "he acted with the best of motives"
abience - (psychology) an urge to withdraw or avoid a situation or an object
adience - (psychology) an urge to accept or approach a situation or an object
death instinct, death wish, Thanatos - (psychoanalysis) an unconscious urge to die
itchy feet, wanderlust - very strong or irresistible impulse to travel
2.impulse - a sudden desire; "he bought it on an impulse"
desire - the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
3.impulse - the electrical discharge that travels along a nerve fiber; "they demonstrated the transmission of impulses from the cortex to the hypothalamus"
electrical discharge - a discharge of electricity
action potential - the local voltage change across the cell wall as a nerve impulse is transmitted
4.impulse - (electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients)impulse - (electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients); "the pulsations seemed to be coming from a star"
electronics - the branch of physics that deals with the emission and effects of electrons and with the use of electronic devices
undulation, wave - (physics) a movement up and down or back and forth
5.impulse - the act of applying force suddenly; "the impulse knocked him over"
drive, driving force, thrust - the act of applying force to propel something; "after reaching the desired velocity the drive is cut off"
6.impulse - an impelling force or strengthimpulse - an impelling force or strength; "the car's momentum carried it off the road"
forcefulness, strength, force - physical energy or intensity; "he hit with all the force he could muster"; "it was destroyed by the strength of the gale"; "a government has not the vitality and forcefulness of a living man"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

impulse

noun
1. urge, longing, desire, drive, wish, fancy, notion, yen (informal), instinct, yearning, inclination, itch, whim, compulsion, caprice He resisted an impulse to smile.
3. force, pressure, push, movement, surge, motive, thrust, momentum, stimulus, catalyst, impetus Their impulse of broadcasting was for human rights.
4. pulse, beat, current, wave, stroke, rhythm, oscillation the electrical impulse which keeps the heart beating
on impulse impulsively, of your own accord, freely, voluntarily, instinctively, spontaneously, impromptu, off the cuff (informal), in the heat of the moment, off your own bat, quite unprompted After lunch she decided, on impulse, to take a bath.
Quotations
"I am the very slave of circumstance"
"And impulse - borne away with every breath!" [Lord Byron Sardanapalus]
"To our strongest impulse, to the tyrant in us, not only our reason but also our conscience yields" [Friedrich Nietzsche Beyond Good and Evil]
"Have no truck with first impulses for they are always generous ones" [Casimir, Comte de Montrond]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

impulse

noun
1. Something that causes and encourages a given response:
2. An impulsive, often illogical turn of mind:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
دافِع،حافِزنَزْوَه
impulznáhlý popud
impulsindskydelse
impulssi
impulzusösztönös cselekvés
hreyfiafl; kippur, höggskyndilega hugdetta
impulsasimpulsyviaiimpulsyvumasimpulsyvus
impulss
nagonvzgib
akım darbesiani istekdürtüempüls

impulse

[ˈɪmpʌls]
A. N (Tech, fig) → impulso m
my first impulse was to hit himmi primer impulso fue de golpearlo
on impulsellevado por un impulso, impulsivamente
to act on impulseobrar llevado por un impulso, obrar impulsivamente
I bought it on impulselo compré impulsivamente
to yield to a sudden impulsedejarse llevar por un impulso
B. CPD impulse buy Ncompra f impulsiva
impulse buying Ncompras fpl impulsivas
impulse sales NPLventas fpl impulsivas
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

impulse

[ˈɪmpʌls] n
(instinctive)réflexe m
My first impulse was to run away → Mon premier réflexe a été de partir en courant.
My impulse is to sell up and go away
BUT Je serais tenté instinctivement de tout vendre et de m'en aller.; Mon instinct me pousserait plutôt à tout vendre et à m'en aller.
(= urge) → furieuse envie f
to have an impulse to do sth → être pris(e) d'une furieuse envie de faire qch
on impulse → sur un coup de tête
to do sth on impulse → faire qch sur un coup de tête
She decided on impulse to go to the museum → Elle décida sur un coup de tête d'aller au musée.
to buy sth on impulse → acheter qch sur un coup de tête
to act on impulse → agir selon ses impulsions
I've always avoided acting on impulse → J'ai toujours évité d'agir selon mes impulsions.
Sean's a fast thinker, and he acts on impulse → Sean est un rapide, et il agit selon ses impulsions.
(electrical)impulsion f
electrical impulses → des impulsions électriquesimpulse buy nachat m d'impulsion
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

impulse

nImpuls m; (= driving force)(Stoß- or Trieb)kraft f; nerve impulsenervöser Reiz or Impuls; to give a new impulse to the peace processdem Friedensprozess einen neuen Impuls geben; man of impulseimpulsiver Mensch; she resisted an impulse to smilesie widerstand dem Impuls zu lächeln; to yield to a sudden impulseeinem Impuls nachgeben or folgen; on impulseaus einem Impuls heraus, impulsiv; I had an impulse to hit himich hatte den unwiderstehlichen Drang or das plötzliche Verlangen, ihn zu schlagen; he is ruled by his impulseser lässt sich von seinen spontanen Regungen leiten
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

impulse

[ˈɪmpʌls] nimpulso
to act on impulse → agire d'impulso or impulsivamente
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

impulse

(ˈimpals) noun
1. a sudden desire to do something, without thinking about the consequences. I bought the dress on impulse – I didn't really need it
2. a sudden force or stimulation. an electrical impulse.
imˈpulsive (-siv) adjective
done, or likely to act, suddenly, without careful thought. an impulsive action; You're far too impulsive!
imˈpulsively adverb
imˈpulsiveness noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

im·pulse

n. impulso; fuerza súbita impulsiva;
cardiac ______ cardíaco;
excitatory ______ excitante;
inhibitory ______ inhibitorio;
nervous ______ nervioso;
v.
to act on ___dejarse llevar por un ___.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

impulse

n impulso
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
For example, we have an impulse to inflict pain upon those whom we hate; we therefore believe that they are wicked, and that punishment will reform them.
Having been charged with a certain lack of emotional faculty I am glad to be able to say that on one occasion at least I did give way to a sentimental impulse. I thought the pen had been a good pen and that it had done enough for me, and so, with the idea of keeping it for a sort of memento on which I could look later with tender eyes, I put it into my waistcoat pocket.
After a year or two, if the impulse within them became strong and insistent enough, they married.
White Fang's natural impulse, when he saw the live food fluttering about him and under his very nose, was to spring upon it.
He knew the prod of impulse to join in this rush away from some unthinkably catastrophic event that impended and that stirred his intuitive apprehensions of death.
Then arose in her the impulse to lean against him, to rest herself against his strength - a vague, half-formed impulse, which, even as she considered it, mastered her and made her lean toward him.
Just as in the mechanism of a clock, so in the mechanism of the military machine, an impulse once given leads to the final result; and just as indifferently quiescent till the moment when motion is transmitted to them are the parts of the mechanism which the impulse has not yet reached.
We felt the prod of gregarious instinct, the drawing together as though for united action, the impulse toward cooperation.
MY first impulse was the reckless impulse to follow Eustace--openly through the streets.
I rushed down stairs--carried away, positively carried away, by an Impulse beyond human resistance.
This speech so pleased the other Members of the convention that, actuated by a magnanimous impulse, they sprang to their feet and left the hall.
But in the depths of his heart, the older he became, and the more intimately he knew his brother, the more and more frequently the thought struck him that this faculty of working for the public good, of which he felt himself utterly devoid, was possibly not so much a quality as a lack of something --not a lack of good, honest, noble desires and tastes, but a lack of vital force, of what is called heart, of that impulse which drives a man to choose someone out of the innumerable paths of life, and to care only for that one.