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
Bell, whose screen roles have long radiated decency and sensitivity, channels that guilelessness once more, only to expose it as yet another façade that helps Niall to conceal his darker impulses.
—
Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026
With SpaceX, Muskism’s pursuit of state symbiosis converged with the privatizing impulses of the early 21st century to find a deeper channel.
—Ben Tarnoff, Big Think, 23 Apr. 2026
The one nation that could restrain his worst impulses — us — enables them instead.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
At a time when many of us are struggling to see a future that isn’t just a fulfillment of the worst impulses of the corrupt, exploitative, anti-democratic present, Fugard offers a vision of perseverance and resistance.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Under this influence, our collective impulses are louder as the need for independence is undeniable.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
These impulses are at odds during today’s last quarter moon.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Eight decades later, as nations inch toward despotism, an art animated by democratic impulses makes a stronger case for itself.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Be careful of sudden impulses to travel or do something unusual.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026
With SpaceX, Muskism’s pursuit of state symbiosis converged with the privatizing impulses of the early 21st century to find a deeper channel.
—Ben Tarnoff, Big Think, 23 Apr. 2026
The one nation that could restrain his worst impulses — us — enables them instead.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
At a time when many of us are struggling to see a future that isn’t just a fulfillment of the worst impulses of the corrupt, exploitative, anti-democratic present, Fugard offers a vision of perseverance and resistance.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Under this influence, our collective impulses are louder as the need for independence is undeniable.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
These impulses are at odds during today’s last quarter moon.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Eight decades later, as nations inch toward despotism, an art animated by democratic impulses makes a stronger case for itself.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Be careful of sudden impulses to travel or do something unusual.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impulses
Noun
-
The Good Jobs First report recommends that all states fully report their losses from data center tax breaks, including how those incentives affect local revenue streams.—
Kevin Hardy,
Baltimore Sun,
20 Apr. 2026
-
While the sales increases in some cases were aided by tax incentives and new emissions rules, the figures point to how global fleets are rapidly electrifying in response to the war in Iran.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The slimdown of staff continues a trend in the tech sector, which long had been known for its largesse and expansionist tendencies as many traditional businesses headed in the opposite direction.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
-
In 2024, Julie Aitken Schermer, a psychology professor at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, published a paper that showed drivers who modified their exhaust systems to be louder were more likely to have psychopathic and sadist tendencies.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
All through the park, competitors and onlookers hit vapes and shout tips and encouragements into trees.—
Calin Van Paris,
Outside,
19 Mar. 2026
-
In October 2024 ahead of her own stay at MSG, Billie Eilish recorded encouragements to take the subways for environmental benefits.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Who knew that such daring would lead to a film that avoids these inclinations entirely, especially one that could have so easily leaned into controversial territory?—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Samuel Alito’s inclinations have not been hard to discern lately.—
Peter S. Canellos,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Swapping numbers can result from different motivations, Mann explained.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
In a cast populated by characters with shifting motivations, Eunice mostly comes off as a plot device that features more or less prominently depending on what’s going on with everyone else.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This model reflects Japan’s long-standing corporate culture, which prioritizes new hires for their general potential—their aptitudes and aspirations, as opposed to their current skill sets or university majors—and then trains them on the job.—
GRACIA LIU-FARRER,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Nov. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
Its formal and ontological affinities with dysfunction, fragmentation, and violence would seem to render that debt proverbial to the point of cliché.—
Ara H. Merjian,
ARTnews.com,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Today, costly and time-consuming coachbuilding acts as a mirror for the owner’s personal style and affinities, all the while displaying the status of having formed such a close connection with a brand that you’re invited to commission something singular.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Being in an unfamiliar place, getting poor sleep, and constant stimuli from lights and noise all contribute to delirium.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
11 Apr. 2026
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Patapoutian won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering the role PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 proteins play in sensing mechanical stimuli.—
Jacek Krywko,
Scientific American,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impulses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impulses. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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