impulse JUST WRITTEN FOR YOU

/ˈɪmpʌls/ · im·pulse
noun
  1. A sudden force or push that causes a change in motion. The coach gave the ball an impulse that sent it soaring over the fence.
  2. A spontaneous desire or urge to act. On a whim, she felt an impulse to book a one‑way ticket to Paris.
  3. In physics, the integral of force over time, equal to the change in momentum. The impulse delivered by the bat altered the baseball’s velocity.
verb
  1. To incite or stimulate action; to cause a sudden urge. His passionate speech impulsed the crowd into a spontaneous chant.
Did you know? The term ‘impulse response’ is a cornerstone of signal‑processing engineering, describing how a system reacts to a brief input signal.
Written by Lexi Wordsworth, Dictionary Editor 0 lookups Added Jul 14, 2026