impulse has definitions from the fields of physics,electricity,electronics
1
[ noun ] an instinctive motive

Synonyms

urge

Examples

"profound religious impulses"

Used in print

(Max F. Millikan and Donald L. M. Blackmer,...)

Nevertheless , impulses still exist among the ruling elite to rationalize and thus to perpetuate the need for centralized and authoritarian practices .

(Joyce O. Hertzler, American Social Institutions;...)

Under the religious impulse , whether theistic or humanistic , men have joy in living ; life leads somewhere .

(David Stacton, The Judges of the Secret Court....)

He did not really want to kill , but as in the sexual_act , there was a moment when the impulse took_over and could not be downed , even while you watched yourself giving_way to it .

(Glayds H. Barr, The Master of Geneva....)

John 's first impulse was to denounce their blasphemy .

2
[ noun ] a sudden desire

Synonyms

whim vagary caprice

Examples

"he bought it on impulse"

Used in print

(Chester G. Starr, The Origins of Greek Civili...)

They had had_to work_on very simple foundations and had not dared to give rein to impulses .

Related terms

desire

3
[ noun ] (physics,electricity) the electrical discharge that travels along a nerve fiber

Synonyms

nerve_impulse

Examples

"they demonstrated the transmission of impulses from the cortex to the hypothalamus"

Used in print

(Nathan Rapport, ""I've Been Here before!"...)

Hereby , the external object viewed by the eyes remains the thing that is seen , not the retinal image , the purpose of which would be to achieve perceptive cooperation by stirring sympathetic impulses in the other sensory centers , motor tensions , associated word symbols , and consciousness .

(E. Gellhorn, "Prolegomena to a theory of the emotions"...)

In experiments with topical application of strychnine on the cerebral_cortex , the transmission of impulses from the cortex to the hypothalamus was demonstrated .

4
[ noun ] (electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients)

Examples

"the pulsations seemed to be coming from a star"

Used in print

(Nathan Rapport, ""I've Been Here before!"...)

We know that the number of radio and television impulses , sound_waves , ultra-violet rays , etc. , that may occupy the very same space , each solitary upon its own frequency , is infinite .

Related terms

wave electronics pulse

5
[ noun ] the act of applying force suddenly

Synonyms

impetus impulsion

Examples

"the impulse knocked him over"

Used in print

(J. F. Vedder, "Micrometeorites", in Francis S. J...)

The Russian experimenters claim that only a small fraction of the impulse from the sensors is caused by the incident momentum with the remainder being momentum of ejected material from the sensor .

Related terms

drive propel

6
[ noun ] an impelling force or strength

Synonyms

momentum

Examples

"the car's momentum carried it off the road"

Related terms

force

*