impulse

Borrowed from Middle French impulser, from Latin impulsus.

For spelling, as in pulse, the -e (on -lse) is so the end is pronounced /ls/, rather than /lz/ as in pulls, and does not change the vowel (‘u’). Compare else, false, convulse.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪmpʌls/

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• Hyphenation: im‧pulse

impulse (plural impulses)

1. A thrust; a push; a sudden force that impels.
   • S. Clarke

     All spontaneous animal motion is performed by mechanical impulse.

2. A wish or urge, particularly a sudden one prompting action.

   The impulse to learn drove me to study night and day.

   When I saw the new dictionary, I couldn't resist the impulse to browse through it.

   • Dryden

     These were my natural impulses for the undertaking.

   • 1907, Harold Bindloss, chapter 20, in The Dust of Conflict‎:

     Tony's face expressed relief, and Nettie sat silent for a moment until the vicar said “It was a generous impulse, but it may have been a momentary one, […] .”

3. (physics) The integral of force over time.

   The total impulse from the impact will depend on the kinetic energy of the bullet.

• impulse buy
• nerve impulse
• on impulse

• impel
• impulsion
• impulsive
• impulsively
• impulsiveness
• impulsivity
• impulsor
• pulse

impulse (third-person singular simple present impulses, present participle impulsing, simple past and past participle impulsed)

1. (obsolete) To impel; to incite.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Alexander Pope to this entry?)

• impulse in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• impulse in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• impulse in the Online Etymology Dictionary

• Homophones: impulsent, impulses

impulse

1. first-person singular present indicative of impulser
2. third-person singular present indicative of impulser
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of impulser
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of impulser
5. second-person singular imperative of impulser

impulse

1. third-person singular past historic of impellere

impulse

1. vocative masculine singular of impulsus

impulse m (plural impulses)

1. push, shove

impulse

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of impulsar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of impulsar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of impulsar.