impulse

8 definitions • 7 examples

a sudden strong wish to do something:

impulse to I had this sudden impulse to shout out "Nonsense!" in the middle of her speech.

because you suddenly want to, although you haven't planned to:

"I didn't know you were looking for some new shoes." "Oh, I wasn't - I just bought them on impulse."

a short electrical, radio, or light signal that carries information or instructions between the parts of a system:

an electrical/nerve impulse

something that is the force behind or reason for something else:

a creative/commercial impulse

a sudden, strong desire to do something:

[ + to infinitive ] I had this impulse to dye my hair red.

If you do something on impulse, you do it because you suddenly want to:

[ U ] I bought this expensive sweater on impulse.

a short electrical signal that carries information or instructions between the parts of a system:

nerve impulses

the force that is working on an object multiplied by the amount of time it is working