impulse
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impulse
- /ˈɪmpʌls/
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Middle French impulser, from Latin impulsus.
noun impulses
- A thrust; a push; a sudden force that impels. c. 1715-1716, Samuel Clarke, letter to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz All spontaneous animal motion is performed by mechanical impulse.
- A wish or urge, particularly a sudden one prompting action. The impulse to learn drove me to study night and day.
- The integral of force over time. The total impulse from the impact will depend on the kinetic energy of the projectile.
verb impulses · impulsing · impulsed
- To impel; to incite. With that force so impulsed and prest they are carried under the deepe Ocean.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: impulsion, impetus, caprice, urge, vagary, whim, pulsing, momentum, pulsation, pulse, nerve impulse, rashness, nisus, incitement, push, instigation
Translations
Every language
noun sudden force that impels
| Español | impulso |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 衝動 shōdō, 衝撃 shōgeki, 推進力 suishinryoku, インパルス inparusu, 出来心 dekigokoro |
| 中文 | 衝動 /冲动 chōngdòng, 意氣 /意气 yìqì, 衝量 /冲量 chōngliàng, 衝力 /冲力 chōnglì |
| Português | impulso |
| Français | impulsion |
| Deutsch | Impuls, Triebkraft |
| Italiano | impulso, aire, slancio, abbrivo, rincorsa |
| Ελληνικά | παρόρμηση parórmisi, ορμέμφυτο ormémfyto |
| Română | impuls |
| Русский | и́мпульс ímpulʹs, поры́в porýv, побужде́ние pobuždénije, толчо́к tolčók |
noun wish
| Deutsch | Drang, innerer Antrieb |
|---|
noun (physics) integral force over time
| Español | impulso |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 충격량 chunggyeongnyang, 역적 yeokjeok |
| 日本語 | 衝撃 shōgeki, 推進力 suishinryoku |
| 中文 | 衝量 /冲量 chōngliàng, 衝力 /冲力 chōnglì |
| हिन्दी | आवेग āveg |
| Deutsch | Kraftstoß |
| Русский | и́мпульс ímpulʹs, толчо́к tolčók |
verb Translations
| Español | impulsar |
|---|
Talk about this word "impulse." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/impulse. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. impulse. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/impulse "impulse." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/impulse.Cite this
@misc{impulse_2026,
title = {impulse},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/impulse},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
