Synonym Chooser

How does the noun impulse contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of impulse are goad, incentive, inducement, motive, and spur. While all these words mean "a stimulus to action," impulse suggests a driving power arising from personal temperament or constitution.

buying on impulse

In what contexts can goad take the place of impulse?

In some situations, the words goad and impulse are roughly equivalent. However, goad suggests a motive that keeps one going against one's will or desire.

thought insecurity a goad to worker efficiency

Where would incentive be a reasonable alternative to impulse?

The words incentive and impulse are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, incentive applies to an external influence (such as an expected reward) inciting to action.

a bonus was offered as an incentive

When would inducement be a good substitute for impulse?

The words inducement and impulse can be used in similar contexts, but inducement suggests a motive prompted by the deliberate enticements or allurements of another.

offered a watch as an inducement to subscribe

When can motive be used instead of impulse?

The meanings of motive and impulse largely overlap; however, motive implies an emotion or desire operating on the will and causing it to act.

a motive for the crime

When is spur a more appropriate choice than impulse?

Although the words spur and impulse have much in common, spur applies to a motive that stimulates the faculties or increases energy or ardor.

fear was a spur to action

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of impulse The moment emotion gets involved, impulses tend to take over. Chris Stevens, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Oct. 2025 People sometimes compare the brain to a digital machine operating with sequences of impulses and silences. New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2025 Here, the creation is an innocent, subject to the same impulses of rage as a toddler. Lindsey Bahr, Boston Herald, 17 Oct. 2025 There are three competing impulses from three capitals. Happymon Jacob, Time, 16 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for impulse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impulse
Noun
  • Feeling some heat from next door, New York sweetened its incentive package in its latest budget earlier this year.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
  • This geopolitical calculus is complicated by immediate economic incentives.
    Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The cosmos is asking us to define our aspirations and inclinations.
    Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 20 Oct. 2025
  • On command, the Arc would detach from the service module and reenter the atmosphere at Mach 20+ with a high sustained g-load to arrive at any location within its orbital inclination zone.
    David Szondy October 13, New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Stamford and Columbia University have committed to research using The Pippins as the impetus, according to Chris Norton.
    Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Part of the impetus for all these openings is the same reason Las Vegas is so primed for these restaurants in the first place.
    Tori Latham, Robb Report, 19 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Selling a put under those conditions, with roughly 60 days to expiration, positions the seller to capture elevated option premium while capturing the tendency for prices to revert toward the mean.
    Michael Khouw, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
  • However, the former collegiate volleyball player says her husband, Philadelphia Eagles guard Landon Dickerson, doesn't share her cautionary tendencies.
    Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Many social media users responded with their personal experiences and words of encouragement for Leila.
    Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
  • There were other signs of encouragement, like Diouf and Crysencio Summerville’s left-wing partnership, plus Freddie Potts’ solid cameo appearance.
    Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Turns out it’s finished ahead of schedule and already shipping the servers, which will support Apple Intelligence services on consumer devices like iPhones, according to a new Fox Business report.
    Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
  • That means more than one of every eight of Kroger's 103 stores in its Cincinnati-Dayton division (which includes Northern Kentucky) have the digital devices so far.
    Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Our amygdala is overactive, our nervous systems are fried and our dopamine cycles are hijacked by short-term stimuli.
    Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025
  • These hybrid materials can reversibly change shape when exposed to different stimuli, thanks to the predictable nature of DNA pairing and the stability provided by inorganic components such as gold or graphene oxide.
    Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Mount’s defensive aptitude proved important in keeping United compact throughout, regularly dropping into vacant spaces to slow down any nascent attacks.
    Carl Anka, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Her aptitude was unavoidable at the Fendi show, where top models holding desirable handbags, styled with joyful knits, eye-catching dresses and sporty separates, strutted past guests, including actors Hilary Duff, Naomi Watts and Bang Chan of the South Korean boy band Stray Kids.
    Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Impulse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impulse. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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