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
And yet, for all the buoyancy onstage, Sultana’s party was already riven with deep divisions and suffering from self-defeating impulses familiar to observers of the American progressive left.
—
Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2025
Verdi’s Otello isn’t Shakespeare’s Othello but a cauldron that alchemizes ugly impulses into irresistible beauty.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2025
Neurons at body’s voltage The brain is made up of billions of neurons, specialized cells that fire and transmit impulses with extreme efficiency.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2025
The exhibition doesn’t offer one answer, but rather invites reflection on which emotions, memories, and impulses from girlhood continue to shape us later in life.
—Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2025
An intimate look at the life of soon-to-be 18-year-old Bruno, whose youthful impulses and longings stand in contradiction to the responsibility of being the sole carer for his ailing 86-year-old grandmother.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 19 Sep. 2025
These platforms reward our worst impulses, where the angriest voices get the most attention, and where nuanced conversation gets drowned out by digital screaming matches.
—Margie Warrell, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Gaudí’s secular and sacred impulses overlapped.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Nominally, this is a feel-good redemption drama, though Perry can’t help indulging some darker impulses as well.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2025
Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2025
Verdi’s Otello isn’t Shakespeare’s Othello but a cauldron that alchemizes ugly impulses into irresistible beauty.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2025
Neurons at body’s voltage The brain is made up of billions of neurons, specialized cells that fire and transmit impulses with extreme efficiency.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2025
The exhibition doesn’t offer one answer, but rather invites reflection on which emotions, memories, and impulses from girlhood continue to shape us later in life.
—Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2025
An intimate look at the life of soon-to-be 18-year-old Bruno, whose youthful impulses and longings stand in contradiction to the responsibility of being the sole carer for his ailing 86-year-old grandmother.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 19 Sep. 2025
These platforms reward our worst impulses, where the angriest voices get the most attention, and where nuanced conversation gets drowned out by digital screaming matches.
—Margie Warrell, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Gaudí’s secular and sacred impulses overlapped.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Nominally, this is a feel-good redemption drama, though Perry can’t help indulging some darker impulses as well.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impulses
Noun
-
Tesla had a first-mover advantage in China in 2013, leveraging the government’s support of EVs with subsidies and incentives and its production base and opening a gigafactory in Shanghai in 2019.—
Rebecca A. Fannin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Company finances via private and public funds, through co-productions, incentives and strategic partners.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This is presumably a reference to Perkins' status as a closeted gay man, something Hitchcock likely knew, and not because Perkins had homicidal tendencies.—
JR Radcliffe,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
-
This can lead to stress, perfectionist tendencies, and feeling not good enough when the other sibs inevitably misbehave.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Ward and Curlee also started the app Counterbalance, which provides daily encouragements, recipes, community and more.—
Emy LaCroix,
People.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
LaCombe, who played forward in his youth, has shown great improvement in his own end but still has the offensive inclinations to be a point producer.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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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
Noun
-
During a panel at Sourcing Journal’s Fall Summit, moderated by SJ and Fairchild Studio director Lauren Parker, speakers dove into the motivations behind traceability investments and what is still holding companies’ efforts back.—
Sarah Jones,
Sourcing Journal,
7 Oct. 2025
-
But the filmmakers’ motivations for glomming on to Ed are depicted as being noble.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Of course, Matthieu brings his own set of creative affinities, which are new and incredibly enriching, but not at the expense of existing relationships.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The receptors in your hands respond to myriad stimuli-like pressures—vibrations in sync with 15 different families of neurons.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
29 Sep. 2025
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There’s so much stimuli that I get really pumped doing it.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impulses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impulses. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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