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| im·pulse [ ím pùlss ] (plural im·puls·es) |
noun |
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| Definition: |
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1. sudden urge: a sudden desire, urge, or inclination
(
often used before a noun
)
  She couldn't resist the impulse to ask him.
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2. instinctive drive: an instinctive drive or natural tendency
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3. motive: a motivation or reason for a specific activity
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4. force driving something forward: a driving force producing a forward motion
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5. forward motion: the motion produced by a driving force
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6. physics force acting over time: a measure of momentum arrived at by multiplying the average force acting on a body by the length of time it acts
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7. physiology nerve or muscle signal: a progressive wave of biochemically generated energy that travels along a nerve fiber or muscle and stimulates or inhibits activity
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| [Mid-17th century. < Latin impulsus, past participle of impellere (see impel)] |
