impulse

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈɪmpʌls/ See IPA manual

noun verb Freq #8166

Meanings

1

noun
A sudden strong wish to do something without thinking first.

They bought the puppy on an impulse.
2

noun
A short burst of energy or force.

The impulse from the engine pushed the rocket upward.
3

noun
An electrical signal that travels along a nerve.

Nerve impulses carry messages to the brain.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a sudden strong wish to do... whim caprice urge

2 noun · a short burst of energy or... impetus impulsion

3 noun · an electrical signal that... nerve impulseneural impulse

Word family

Forms impulses

Derived forms counterimpulseimpulse-buyimpulseless

Related forms impel impulsion impulsive impulsively impulsiveness impulsivityimpulsorpulse

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French impulser, from Latin impulsus.

*pel- (beat) Proto-Indo-European impulser Middle French impulsus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

# impulse

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** ˈɪmpʌls
**Frequency rank:** 8166

## Meanings
1. A sudden strong wish to do something without thinking first.
2. A short burst of energy or force.
3. An electrical signal that travels along a nerve.

## Examples
- They bought the puppy on an impulse.
- The impulse from the engine pushed the rocket upward.
- Nerve impulses carry messages to the brain.

## Derived Forms
- counterimpulse
- impulse-buy
- impulseless

## Related Forms
- impel
- impulsion
- impulsive
- impulsively
- impulsiveness
- impulsivity
- impulsor
- pulse

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *pel- (beat)
- Root: impulser
- Root: impulsus

## Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French impulser, from Latin impulsus.

## AI Etymology
Impulse is borrowed from Middle French impulser, from Latin impulsus. The historical line also includes *pel- (beat) (Proto-Indo-European). In current use, the main senses are “A sudden strong wish to do something without thinking first” and “A short burst of energy or force”.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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impulse

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