Meaning & use
impulse
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Meanings
nouncountable
A sudden strong wish to do something, felt without stopping to think about it first.
Grammar: Countable, often followed by to: an impulse to laugh. The phrase on impulse describes an unplanned action.
Patterns
- an impulse to do something
- do something on impulse
- resist the impulse
She felt a sudden impulse to call her old friend.
He resisted the impulse to open the gift early.
I bought the jacket on impulse and regretted it later.
nouncountabletechnicalbiology
A short electrical or nerve signal that travels along a nerve, a wire or a circuit.
Grammar: A technical sense: a nerve impulse, an electrical impulse.
Patterns
- a nerve impulse
- an electrical impulse
A nerve impulse travels from the finger to the brain in a split second.
The heart is triggered by tiny electrical impulses.
The sensor sends an impulse each time the wheel turns.
nouncountableformal
A push or driving force that sets something moving or encourages it to grow.
Grammar: Usually singular and slightly formal: a new impulse for reform.
Patterns
- give an impulse to something
The new factory gave an impulse to the local economy.
Cheap credit provided an impulse for growth.
The speech added fresh impulse to the campaign.
Word forms
| plural | impulses |
|---|
Common combinations
- on impulse
- We booked the trip on impulse after seeing a cheap flight.
- resist the impulse
- It was hard to resist the impulse to check my phone.
- sudden impulse
- A sudden impulse made her turn the car around.
- impulse buy
- The candy at the checkout is a classic impulse buy.
- nerve impulse
- A nerve impulse carries signals through the body.
- follow your impulses
- He tends to follow his impulses rather than make plans.
Synonyms and how they differ
- urge
- Urge is very close but often describes a lasting craving, whereas impulse points to a quick moment of wanting.
- whim
- Whim suggests a playful or odd notion, while impulse can be a strong, emotional drive.
- instinct
- Instinct is inborn and automatic, while an impulse can be a one-off feeling that has no natural basis.
- spur
- Spur usually means something that pushes you toward a goal and is used in the third, more figurative sense.
Opposites
Word family
- impulsive adjective
- acting suddenly without thinking
- impulsively adverb
- in a hasty, unplanned way
- impulsiveness noun
- the habit of acting without thinking
- impel verb
- to push someone to act
Commonly confused: impulse or compulsion? impulse or impetus?
impulse vs compulsion
A compulsion is a stronger, often repeated urge that is hard to resist, while an impulse can be brief and easily passing.
impulse vs impetus
Impetus is the force that makes something start or speed up, and it is more formal than impulse.
Practice
She did not plan to buy the kayak; she bought it ___ after seeing it in a shop window.
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase is on impulse, meaning suddenly and without planning. The other prepositions do not form a normal expression.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “impulse”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.