impulse

/ˈɪmpəls/ · 2 syllables

Meaning

noun

1. an instinctive motive
   “profound religious impulses”
2. a sudden desire
   “he bought it on an impulse”
3. the electrical discharge that travels along a nerve fiber
   “they demonstrated the transmission of impulses from the cortex to the hypothalamus”
4. (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”
5. the act of applying force suddenly
   “the impulse knocked him over”
6. an impelling force or strength
   “the car's momentum carried it off the road”

Synonyms for impulse

• urge
• caprice
• whim
• nerve impulse
• nervous impulse
• neural impulse
• pulsation
• pulsing
• pulse
• impulsion
• impetus
• momentum