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Noun: impulse  'im,púls
  1. An instinctive motive
    "profound religious impulses";
    - urge
     
  2. A sudden desire
    "he bought it on an impulse";
    - caprice, whim
     
  3. The electrical discharge that travels along a nerve fibre
    "they demonstrated the transmission of impulses from the cortex to the hypothalamus";
    - nerve impulse, nervous impulse, neural impulse
     
  4. (electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients)
    - pulsation, pulsing, pulse
     
  5. The act of applying force suddenly
    "the impulse knocked him over";
    - impulsion, impetus
     
  6. An impelling force or strength
    - momentum

Derived forms: impulses

Type of: desire, drive, driving force, electrical discharge, force, forcefulness, motivation, motive, need, strength, thrust, undulation, wave

Encyclopedia: Impulse