impulse

im·pulse

 (ĭm′pŭls′)

n.

1.

a. An impelling force; an impetus.

b. The motion produced by such a force.

2. A sudden wish or urge that prompts an unpremeditated act or feeling; an abrupt inclination: had an impulse to run away; an impulse of regret that made me hesitate; bought a hat on impulse.

3. A motivating force or tendency: "Respect for the liberty of others is not a natural impulse in most men" (Bertrand Russell).

4. Electronics A surge of electrical power in one direction.

5. Physics The product obtained by multiplying the average value of a force by the time during which it acts. The impulse equals the change in momentum produced by the force in this time interval.

6. Physiology The electrochemical transmission of a signal along a nerve fiber that produces an excitatory or inhibitory response at a target tissue, such as a muscle or another nerve.

adj.

Characterized by impulsiveness or acting on impulse: an impulse shopper; impulse buying.

---

[Latin impulsus, from past participle of impellere, to impel; see impel.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

impulse

(ˈɪmpʌls)

n

1. an impelling force or motion; thrust; impetus

2. a sudden desire, whim, or inclination: I bought it on an impulse.

3. an instinctive drive; urge

4. tendency; current; trend

5. (General Physics) physics

a. the product of the average magnitude of a force acting on a body and the time for which it acts

b. the change in the momentum of a body as a result of a force acting upon it for a short period of time

6. (Physiology) physiol See nerve impulse

7. (Electronics) electronics a less common word for pulse¹²

8. on impulse spontaneously or impulsively

[C17: from Latin impulsus a pushing against, incitement, from impellere to strike against; see impel]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

im•pulse

(ˈɪm pʌls)

n.

1. the influence of a particular feeling, mental state, etc.: a generous impulse.

2. sudden, involuntary inclination prompting to action: swayed by impulse.

3. an instance of this: an impulse to cry.

4. an impelling action or force driving onward or inducing motion.

5. the effect of an impelling force.

6. a progressive wave of excitation over a nerve or muscle fiber having a stimulating or inhibitory effect.

7. the product of the average force acting upon a body and the time during which it acts, equivalent to the change in the momentum of the body produced by such a force.

8. a single, usu. sudden, flow of electric current in one direction.

[1640–50; < Latin impulsus pressure, impulse <impul-, variant s. of impellere to strike against; see impel]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

im·pulse

(ĭm′pŭls′)

1. A usually sudden flow of electrical current in one direction. Impulses typically occur as single events.

2. An electrical signal traveling along the axon of a nerve cell. Nerve impulses excite or inhibit activity in other nerve cells or in the tissues of the body, such as muscles and glands.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	impulse - an instinctive motive; "profound religious impulses" urge 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" abience - (psychology) an urge to withdraw or avoid a situation or an object adience - (psychology) an urge to accept or approach a situation or an object death instinct, death wish, Thanatos - (psychoanalysis) an unconscious urge to die itchy feet, wanderlust - very strong or irresistible impulse to travel
	2.	impulse - a sudden desire; "he bought it on an impulse" caprice, whim desire - the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
	3.	impulse - the electrical discharge that travels along a nerve fiber; "they demonstrated the transmission of impulses from the cortex to the hypothalamus" nerve impulse, nervous impulse, neural impulse electrical discharge - a discharge of electricity action potential - the local voltage change across the cell wall as a nerve impulse is transmitted
	4.	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" pulsation, pulse, pulsing electronics - the branch of physics that deals with the emission and effects of electrons and with the use of electronic devices undulation, wave - (physics) a movement up and down or back and forth
	5.	impulse - the act of applying force suddenly; "the impulse knocked him over" impetus, impulsion drive, driving force, thrust - the act of applying force to propel something; "after reaching the desired velocity the drive is cut off"
	6.	impulse - an impelling force or strength; "the car's momentum carried it off the road" momentum forcefulness, strength, force - 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"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

impulse

noun

1. urge, longing, desire, drive, wish, fancy, notion, yen (informal), instinct, yearning, inclination, itch, whim, compulsion, caprice He resisted an impulse to smile.

2. spontaneity, impetuosity, carelessness, irresponsibility, wildness, thoughtlessness, rashness, heedlessness, incautiousness He is a creature of impulse.

3. force, pressure, push, movement, surge, motive, thrust, momentum, stimulus, catalyst, impetus Their impulse of broadcasting was for human rights.

4. pulse, beat, current, wave, stroke, rhythm, oscillation the electrical impulse which keeps the heart beating

on impulse impulsively, of your own accord, freely, voluntarily, instinctively, spontaneously, impromptu, off the cuff (informal), in the heat of the moment, off your own bat, quite unprompted After lunch she decided, on impulse, to take a bath.

Quotations
"I am the very slave of circumstance"
"And impulse - borne away with every breath!" [Lord Byron Sardanapalus]
"To our strongest impulse, to the tyrant in us, not only our reason but also our conscience yields" [Friedrich Nietzsche Beyond Good and Evil]
"Have no truck with first impulses for they are always generous ones" [Casimir, Comte de Montrond]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

impulse

noun

1. Something that causes and encourages a given response:

encouragement, fillip, impetus, incentive, inducement, motivation, prod, push, spur, stimulant, stimulation, stimulator, stimulus.

2. An impulsive, often illogical turn of mind:

bee, boutade, caprice, conceit, fancy, freak, humor, megrim, notion, vagary, whim, whimsy.

Idiom: bee in one's bonnet.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

دافِع،حافِزنَزْوَه

impulznáhlý popud

impulsindskydelse

ImpulsEingebung

ώθηση

impulso

impulssi

impulsionincitationpulsion

impulzusösztönös cselekvés

hreyfiafl; kippur, höggskyndilega hugdetta

impulsostimoloslancioimpetoimpulsivo

impulsasimpulsyviaiimpulsyvumasimpulsyvus

impulss

impulsstrømstøt

nagonvzgib

akım darbesiani istekdürtüempüls

冲力冲动脉冲

impulse

[ˈɪmpʌls]

A. N (Tech, fig) → impulso m
my first impulse was to hit him → mi primer impulso fue de golpearlo
on impulse → llevado por un impulso, impulsivamente
to act on impulse → obrar llevado por un impulso, obrar impulsivamente
I bought it on impulse → lo compré impulsivamente
to yield to a sudden impulse → dejarse llevar por un impulso

B. CPD impulse buy N → compra f impulsiva
impulse buying N → compras fpl impulsivas
impulse sales NPL → ventas fpl impulsivas

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

impulse

[ˈɪmpʌls] n

(instinctive) → réflexe m
My first impulse was to run away → Mon premier réflexe a été de partir en courant.
My impulse is to sell up and go away
BUT Je serais tenté instinctivement de tout vendre et de m'en aller.; Mon instinct me pousserait plutôt à tout vendre et à m'en aller.

(= urge) → furieuse envie f
to have an impulse to do sth → être pris(e) d'une furieuse envie de faire qch
on impulse → sur un coup de tête
to do sth on impulse → faire qch sur un coup de tête
She decided on impulse to go to the museum → Elle décida sur un coup de tête d'aller au musée.
to buy sth on impulse → acheter qch sur un coup de tête
to act on impulse → agir selon ses impulsions
I've always avoided acting on impulse → J'ai toujours évité d'agir selon mes impulsions.
Sean's a fast thinker, and he acts on impulse → Sean est un rapide, et il agit selon ses impulsions.

(electrical) → impulsion f
electrical impulses → des impulsions électriquesimpulse buy n → achat m d'impulsion

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

impulse

n → Impuls m; (= driving force) → (Stoß- or Trieb)kraft f; nerve impulse → nervöser Reiz or Impuls; to give a new impulse to the peace process → dem Friedensprozess einen neuen Impuls geben; man of impulse → impulsiver Mensch; she resisted an impulse to smile → sie widerstand dem Impuls zu lächeln; to yield to a sudden impulse → einem Impuls nachgeben or folgen; on impulse → aus einem Impuls heraus, impulsiv; I had an impulse to hit him → ich hatte den unwiderstehlichen Drang or das plötzliche Verlangen, ihn zu schlagen; he is ruled by his impulses → er lässt sich von seinen spontanen Regungen leiten

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

impulse

[ˈɪmpʌls] n → impulso
to act on impulse → agire d'impulso or impulsivamente

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

impulse

(ˈimpals) noun

1. a sudden desire to do something, without thinking about the consequences. I bought the dress on impulse – I didn't really need it impuls نَزْوَه порив impulso náhlý popud die Eingebung indskydelse; impuls παρόρμηση, αυθόρμητη ενέργεια impulso siseaje هوس mielijohde impulsionדחף आवेग impuls, poriv indíték; ösztönös cselekvés impuls, gerakan hati skyndilega hugdetta impulso 衝動 충동 impulsas impulss gerakan hati impuls, opwellingimpuls, innfallodruch پورى وهنه، ټكان، خوځونه: دفكر خوځونه يا تحريك: طبيعى ميلان، ناڅاپى ميلان impulso impul­s порыв popud nagon impuls impuls ความใจเร็ว ani istek, dürtü 衝動 спонукання; поштовх اکساہٹ sự hấp tấp 冲动

2. a sudden force or stimulation. an electrical impulse. impuls دافِع،حافِز импулс impulso impulz der Impuls impuls ερέθισμα, διέγερσηimpulso impulss ضربه؛ تکانه impulssi impulsion פּוּלס संवेग pobuda, pokretačka sila impulzus rangsangan hreyfiafl; kippur, högg impulso 衝撃 자극, 충격 impulsas impulss rangsangan impulsimpuls, støtbodziec ټكان impulso impuls импульс impulz impulz impuls impuls แรงกระตุ้น empüls, akım darbesi 衝力，脈衝 імпульс ذہنی ہیجان sự thúc đẩy 冲力，脉冲

imˈpulsive (-siv) adjective

done, or likely to act, suddenly, without careful thought. an impulsive action; You're far too impulsive! impulsief نَزوي، مُتَهَوِّر، نَزِق импулсивен impulsivo nutkavý; vznětlivý impulsiv impulsiv αυθόρμητος, παρορμητικόςimpulsivo impulsiivne هوسی؛ ویری impulsiivinen impulsifאימפולסיבי आवेगी impulzivan lobbanékony impulsif hvatvís, fljóthuga impulsivo 衝動的な 충동적인 impulsyvus impulsīvs mengikut gerakan hati impulsiefimpulsiv, spontanimpulsywny دخوځوونكى، پورى وهو نكى، ټكان وركوونكى، پاروونكى impulsivo im­pul­siv; nechibzuit импульсивный impulzívny, konajúci bez rozmyslu nepremišljen impulsivan impulsiv หุนหันพลันแล่น düşüncesiz 衝動的 імпульсивний; спонукальний وقتی تحریک پر مبنی hấp tấp 冲动的

imˈpulsively adverb

impulsief بانْدِفاع، بِتَهَوُّر импулсивно impulsivamente bez rozmyslu impulsiv impulsivt αυθόρμητα impulsivamente impulsiivselt بلا اختیار impulsiivisesti impulsivement בְּאוֹפֶן אִימפּוּלסִיבִי आवेगशील impulzivno impulzívan secara impulsif hvatvíslega impulsivamente 衝動的に 충동적으로 impulsyviai impulsīvi dengan mengikut gerak hati impulsiefimpulsivt impulsywnie دخوځونى په ډول، په پارولو impulsivamente impulsiv импульсивно impulzívne nagonsko impulsivno impulsivt อย่างหุนหันพลันแล่น düşüncesizce 衝動地 імпульсивно متحرک ہو کر một cách hấp tấp 冲动地

imˈpulsiveness noun

impulsiwiteit إنْدِفاع، تَهَوُّر импулсивност impulsividade vznětlivost impulsive Art impulsivitet αυθορμητισμόςimpulsividad impulsiivsus تکانشگری؛ نیروی آنی impulsiivisuus impulsivité אִימפּוּלסִיבִיוּת आवेगिता impulzivnost lobbanékonyság sifat impulsif hvatvísi impulsività 衝動性 충동적임 impulsyvumas impulsivitāte suka mengikut gerak hati impulsieve aard spontanitet popędliwość فوري نيرو impulsividade impulsivitate импульсивность impulzívnosť impulzivnost impulsivnost impulsivitet ความหุนหันพลันแล่น düşüncesizlik 衝動 імпульсивність متحرک ہونے کی کیفیت tính hấp tấp 冲动

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

im·pulse

n. impulso; fuerza súbita impulsiva;

cardiac ___ → ___ cardíaco;

excitatory ___ → ___ excitante;

inhibitory ___ → ___ inhibitorio;

nervous ___ → ___ nervioso;

v.

to act on ___ → dejarse llevar por un ___.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

impulse

n impulso

English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.