impulse

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“
The source of the impulse is an exciting process in an organ, and the immediate aim of the impulse lies in the elimination of this organic stimulus Another preliminary assumption in the theory of the impulse which we cannot relinquish, states that the bodily organs furnish two kinds of excitements which are determined by differences of a chemical nature.

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Definitions (29)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (8)

  1. noun An impelling force; an impetus.
  2. noun The motion produced by such a force.
  3. noun 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.
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Examples (50)

  • The results, however, are momentous; for the hero, being a man of action, is no longer content to write and pay for the printing: in his capacity of liberator he has to step into the arena, and, above all, he has to think out a philosophy An early manifestation of this impulse was the Irish enterprise already mentioned. —  Shelley
  • Amplifying this impulse is the different way we experience gains and losses identified by the psychologists who pioneered behavioral economics. —  Free Money Finance
  • You could then only say that the impulse was the same, and I'm not even sure about that. —  iMechanica - Comments
  • When it comes to e-mail, though, this impulse is a bit misguided. —  Original Signal - The best of Web 2.0
  • But whatever it was, the impulse was as irresistible as the spell which, in our own times, sends the Celtic tribes towards the prairies or the regions of gold across the Atlantic. —  Chips From A German Workshop - Volume I Essays on the Science of Religion
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

instinct ·  emotion ·  motive ·  enthusiasm ·  sensation ·  energy ·  mood ·  element ·  manifestation ·  ambition ·  disposition

Used in the same contextWord Family

impulse:   impulses
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

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

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. = Spanish Portuguese Italian impulso, from Latin impulsus, inpulsus, a push, pressure, incitement, from impellere, inpellere, past participle impulsus, inpulsus, push on, impel: see impel.
  2. from Latin impulsus, inpulsus, past participle of impellere, inpellere, impel: see impel, v., and impulse, n.
 

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/ɪmˈpəls/
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