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
Catalina’s character is exceptionally well drawn, and the subtle, fantastic elements — unanswered phone calls, a sense of an unseen presence, intuitive impulses — lend the film a distinctive, poetic identity.
—
Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 23 Oct. 2025
The changes to the prefrontal cortex can impact their decision making and control their impulses.
—Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
The electrodes produce electrical impulses that affect brain activity to treat certain medical conditions.
—Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
The moment emotion gets involved, impulses tend to take over.
—Chris Stevens, Nashville Tennessean, 19 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
People sometimes compare the brain to a digital machine operating with sequences of impulses and silences.
—New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2025
There are three competing impulses from three capitals.
—Happymon Jacob, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
Hawke sells all of Hart’s delusions, destructive impulses, and high-velocity downward spirals with an energy that keeps this bitchy, old-school collection of bon mots and screwball bickering moving along nicely.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2025
Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 23 Oct. 2025
The changes to the prefrontal cortex can impact their decision making and control their impulses.
—Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
The electrodes produce electrical impulses that affect brain activity to treat certain medical conditions.
—Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
The moment emotion gets involved, impulses tend to take over.
—Chris Stevens, Nashville Tennessean, 19 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
People sometimes compare the brain to a digital machine operating with sequences of impulses and silences.
—New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2025
There are three competing impulses from three capitals.
—Happymon Jacob, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
Hawke sells all of Hart’s delusions, destructive impulses, and high-velocity downward spirals with an energy that keeps this bitchy, old-school collection of bon mots and screwball bickering moving along nicely.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impulses
Noun
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This has raised questions about whether the huge tax incentives and infrastructure investments these sites demand from state and municipal governments (such as power stations, transmission lines, water supply upgrades, and roads) will pay off for local communities.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The report also describes incentives for landlords to make energy efficiency upgrades, citing a model in Atlanta targeted at landlords who accept rental assistance vouchers.—
Connor Giffin,
Louisville Courier Journal,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Darcy, who was Stelter’s colleague at CNN before co-founding the independent news outlet Status, lamented the recent tendencies of many large news organizations.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
25 Oct. 2025
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Your decision to grow them in containers makes sense as bulbs always make a lasting impression in dense container plantings and their garden takeover tendencies can be nullified.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Hints, counsels, warnings, remonstrations, even encouragements are, in the end, of limited value.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Ward and Curlee also started the app Counterbalance, which provides daily encouragements, recipes, community and more.—
Emy LaCroix,
People.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The cosmos is asking us to define our aspirations and inclinations.—
Lisa Stardust,
Refinery29,
20 Oct. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
Well, this is not a normal guy with normal motivations.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Oct. 2025
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However, others were more sympathetic to Trump’s motivations.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 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
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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
-
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Impulses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impulses. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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