pulse

verb

pulsed; pulsing

intransitive verb

: to exhibit a pulse or pulsation : throb

transitive verb

1

: to drive by or as if by a pulsation

2

: to cause to pulsate

3

a

: to produce or modulate (something, such as electromagnetic waves) in the form of pulses

pulsed waves

b

: to cause (an apparatus) to produce pulses

pulser noun

Synonyms of pulse

• throb
• beat
• vibrate

Examples of pulse in a Sentence

He could feel the blood pulsing through his veins.

Dance music pulsed from the speakers.

The city pulses with life.

his resting pulse rate is much lower than that of most men his age

Recent Examples on the Web

Sculptor Alan Saret, whose nebulous, three-dimensional wire works seemed to pulse with life, died on May 26 in Brooklyn. —News Desk, Artforum, 3 June 2026

In between, Tribeca will pulse with documentaries on Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, guitarist Peter Frampton, Israeli singer Noga Erez, rap trio The Lox, drummer Travis Barker, and concert docs with Katy Perry and Mumford & Sons. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 2 June 2026

When a mysterious Signal begins pulsing out near Pluto, the world goes still, leaving the skies open for what is believed to be first contact with extraterrestrials. —Literary Hub, 1 June 2026

Sniffen stepped up with two outs and pulsed his clutch gene, finding the hole between Martin and Cholowsky as Kashimoto sprinted around third base and dove headfirst into home plate. —Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 1 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English pulsen "to throb," in part borrowed from Latin pulsāre "to strike with repeated blows, beat, (in passive) beat wildly (of the heart)," in part verbal derivative of pous, pouce, pulse pulse entry 1 — more at pulse entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing pulse

• check/take/feel someone's pulse
• electromagnetic pulse
• have/keep/put one's finger on the pulse of
• heart/pulse rate
• pulse-jet engine
• pulse oximeter
• pulse oximetry

Rhymes for pulse

• dulce
• convulse
• repulse

Kids Definition

pulse

1 of 3 noun

ˈpəls 

: the edible seeds of several crops (as peas, beans, or lentils) of the legume family

also : a plant yielding pulse

pulse

2 of 3 noun

1

: a regular throbbing caused in the arteries by the contractions of the heart

2

a

: rhythmical beating or throbbing

b

: pulsation, beat, throb

3

a

: a brief variation of a quantity (as electrical current) whose value is normally constant

b

: an electromagnetic wave or a sound wave lasting only a short length of time

pulse

3 of 3 verb

pulsed; pulsing

: to display a pulse or pulsation

the veins in his forehead pulsed

Medical Definition

pulse

1 of 2 noun

ˈpəls 

1

a

: a regularly recurrent wave of distension in arteries that results from the progress through an artery of blood injected into the arterial system at each contraction of the ventricles of the heart

b

: the palpable beat resulting from such pulse as detected in a superficial artery (as the radial artery)

a very soft pulse

also : the number of such beats in a specified period of time (as one minute)

a resting pulse of 70

2

: pulsation

3

a

: a transient variation of a quantity (as electric current or voltage) whose value is normally constant

—often used of current variations produced artificially and repeated either with a regular period or according to some code

b

: an electromagnetic wave or modulation thereof having brief duration

c

: a brief disturbance transmitted through a medium

4

: a dose of a substance especially when applied over a short period of time

therapy with pulses of intravenous methylprednisolone

pulse

2 of 2 verb

pulsed; pulsing

intransitive verb

: to exhibit a pulse or pulsation

transitive verb

1

: to cause to pulsate

2

a

: to produce or modulate (as electromagnetic waves) in the form of pulses

pulsed waves

b

: to cause (an apparatus) to produce pulses