1
as in incentives
something that arouses action or activity
the new auto factory was just the impulse that the local economy needed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tendencies
a habitual attraction to some activity or thing
the universal, fundamental impulse of self-preservation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impulses
Rusty wanted to do something stupid, but the calming presence of Billy negated all of Rusty’s throbbing impulses.
—
Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
In competitive authoritarian regimes, however, there’s a constant push and pull between democratic and autocratic impulses.
—Karrin Vasby Anderson, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
Marcus du Sautoy believes that the creative impulses underlying mathematics and art are so similar that any artist working in any form improvises mathematically even when the artist doesn’t know it.
—Rebecca Coffey, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
With Parkinson’s, doctors implant electrodes in the brain that produce electrical impulses to disrupt the abnormal signals that cause tremors, stiffness and slow movement.
—Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2025
The issue is that if the impulses behind these choices are recognizable in theory, the characters themselves are broad to the point of abstraction.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
What begins as a chronicle of her parents, sister, and children’s efforts to secure her return, becomes a portrait of conflicting impulses towards anger, vengeance, and compassion, straining the bonds of one grieving family.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
The unspeakable drama of these killings is an understandable draw to filmmakers interested in humanity’s worst impulses.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 29 Aug. 2025
It was taken in July 2022 at the Edgewood Tahoe Resort, during an annual tournament where high rollers at the property’s casino are rewarded for their questionable impulses by being paired on the course with celebrities.
—David Amsden, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2025
Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
In competitive authoritarian regimes, however, there’s a constant push and pull between democratic and autocratic impulses.
—Karrin Vasby Anderson, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
Marcus du Sautoy believes that the creative impulses underlying mathematics and art are so similar that any artist working in any form improvises mathematically even when the artist doesn’t know it.
—Rebecca Coffey, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
With Parkinson’s, doctors implant electrodes in the brain that produce electrical impulses to disrupt the abnormal signals that cause tremors, stiffness and slow movement.
—Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2025
The issue is that if the impulses behind these choices are recognizable in theory, the characters themselves are broad to the point of abstraction.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
What begins as a chronicle of her parents, sister, and children’s efforts to secure her return, becomes a portrait of conflicting impulses towards anger, vengeance, and compassion, straining the bonds of one grieving family.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
The unspeakable drama of these killings is an understandable draw to filmmakers interested in humanity’s worst impulses.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 29 Aug. 2025
It was taken in July 2022 at the Edgewood Tahoe Resort, during an annual tournament where high rollers at the property’s casino are rewarded for their questionable impulses by being paired on the course with celebrities.
—David Amsden, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impulses
Noun
-
The projects received millions in state and local tax incentives after promising to create thousands of new jobs.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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The transparency requirements will improve safety across all frontier models, and without it, companies may face incentives to prioritize growth over safety and transparency, Anthropic added.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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While bad tendencies showed up in each loss enough good things seemed to appear in the wins.—
Larry Fleisher,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
To identify workaholics, the researchers used established psychological surveys that measure both excessive and compulsive working tendencies.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Ward and Curlee also started the app Counterbalance, which provides daily encouragements, recipes, community and more.—
Emy LaCroix,
People.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
While the corrupt scheme was well documented journalistically and much of the evidence is indicative, ultimately Argentina's Judiciary followed its political inclinations all the way to the top.—
Agustino Fontevecchia,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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The artist’s ability to straddle the line between tomboy inclinations and ultra-glam moments is what has always attracted me to her style.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
As Arrivia notes, loyalty programs that tailor offers to practical and emotional motivations will capture share not just in the short term, but across the customer lifecycle.—
Jeff Fromm,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Prieguez told the Herald that now his motivations have changed.—
Joey Flechas,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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More money is apt to make homeschooling worse and far less tailored to the individual student and their interests and aptitudes by encouraging parents to substitute pricey group programs for the requisite effort of individualized instruction.—
Marie Sapirie,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
-
Students are sorted into these houses based on their personalities and magical aptitudes.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Using a mouse model lacking the Cntnap2 gene, scientists recorded heightened activity in the RTN when animals faced stimuli such as light flashes or air puffs.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Sep. 2025
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Six years later, scientists at Yale showed that at the precise moment of conscious awareness of stimuli, a wave of electrical activity flows from the visual cortex located at the rear of the brain to the frontal lobes.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The new film from the husband-and-lesbian-wife duo Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke features Margaret Qualley playing gay (again) as the titular detective Honey, with Aubrey Plaza co-starring as a gruff cop who is the object of her affections.—
James Factora,
Them.,
21 Aug. 2025
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He was considered a front runner during the season for Windey’s affections, however, things didn't work out.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
People.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impulses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impulses. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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