Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun impulse

6 senses of impulse

Sense 1
urge, impulse -- (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")

Sense 2
caprice, impulse, whim -- (a sudden desire; "he bought it on an impulse")
       => desire -- (the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state)

Sense 3
nerve impulse, nervous impulse, neural impulse, 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)

Sense 4
pulsation, pulsing, pulse, 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")
       => wave, undulation -- ((physics) a movement up and down or back and forth)

Sense 5
impulse, impulsion, impetus -- (the act of applying force suddenly; "the impulse knocked him over")
       => drive, thrust, driving force -- (the act of applying force to propel something; "after reaching the desired velocity the drive is cut off")

Sense 6
momentum, impulse -- (an impelling force or strength; "the car's momentum carried it off the road")
       => force, forcefulness, strength -- (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")