impulse

Meanings

• an instinctive motive
  • "profound religious impulses"
• a sudden desire
  • "he bought it on an impulse"
• the electrical discharge that travels along a nerve fiber
  • "they demonstrated the transmission of impulses from the cortex to the hypothalamus"
• (electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients)
• the act of applying force suddenly
  • "the impulse knocked him over"
• an impelling force or strength

Synonyms

caprice, impetus, impulsion, momentum, nerve impulse, nervous impulse, neural impulse, pulsation, pulse, pulsing, urge, whim