Main entry: impetus, impulse, impulsion
Definition: the act of applying force suddenly
Usage: the impulse knocked him over
Definition: an impelling force or strength
Usage: the car's momentum carried it off the road
Main entry: impulse, nerve impulse, nervous impulse, neural impulse
Definition: the electrical discharge that travels along a nerve fiber
Usage: they demonstrated the transmission of impulses from the cortex to the hypothalamus
Main entry: impulse, pulsation, pulse, pulsing
Definition: (electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients)
Usage: the pulsations seemed to be coming from a star
Main entry: impulse, whim, caprice
Definition: a sudden desire
Usage: he bought it on an impulse
Definition: an instinctive motive
Usage: profound religious impulses