impulses

noun

plural of impulse
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tendencies
a habitual attraction to some activity or thing the universal, fundamental impulse of self-preservation

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 impulses From here on out, the authorship of Tae-ju’s life is ambiguous, as well as constantly in flux, buffeted by the whims and suggestions of others, as well as by her own impulses. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026 Up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the five members of Gash have been following their own spontaneous creative impulses for years. — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026 The tension between the artist’s documentarian and novelistic impulses is one viewers come up against repeatedly throughout the exhibition. — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026 Being in a state of desire produces physical reactions that are difficult to manufacture — sweat, blood rushing, dilated pupils — while offering up the human impulses behind the work, like what excites a designer and what they’re drawn to. — Amy Francombe, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026 John, especially, after the publication of his second book of nonsense verse and stories, had finally cottoned onto the idea of putting some of his literary impulses to good use in song, resulting in some of his most haunting Beatles-era tracks. — Darryn King, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026 Neuroscientists Alan Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley won the 1963 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their work on capturing and measuring the electrical impulses that neurons create. — Kimberlee D'ardenne, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026 The ability to manage one’s thoughts, regulate emotions, and restrain impulses is key to a happy and healthy life. — Joan M. Cook, Time, 3 Oct. 2026 The impulses and outcomes of police work follow a choreographic sensibility as well. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impulses
  1. incentives
  2. tendencies
  3. encouragements
  4. inclinations
  5. motivations
  6. aptitudes
  7. impetuses
  8. affinities
Noun
  • Commercial incentives persist Koh said shipping companies around the world have continued looking for opportunities to navigate the Strait since the conflict erupted, with some operators prepared to accept higher risks and costs.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
  • These changes would reduce costs, free up management bandwidth and improve IPO formation incentives.
    — Jeff Jacobs, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of incentives
Noun
  • Throughout the panel, the cast was playful and self-aware about the show’s gonzo tendencies, especially 13 seasons in.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • At Community Table, executive chef Marcell Davidsen brings an understated Nordic sensibility to the area’s locavore tendencies.
    — Christina Pérez, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of tendencies
Noun
  • Many folks send encouragements toward OP mom and her son, while others put heat on the other parents for sexualizing their kids’ friendship.
    — DeVonne Goode, Parents, 26 July 2026
  • All through the park, competitors and onlookers hit vapes and shout tips and encouragements into trees.
    — Calin Van Paris, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026
Definition of encouragements
Noun
  • And a lot of the time, people who have these kinds of inclinations towards children are people who were children who were abused themselves.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The trustees feared that if something happened to him, his heir apparent, Robert Kahn, would replace him, and it was known that Kahn had Zionistic inclinations.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of inclinations
Noun
  • Rational motivations like eco-consciousness, economic pragmatism, and technophilia inform EV purchases.
    — Peter Gaston, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Appropriate enough, since the two have just spent nearly an hour discussing energy — namely, the source of their own inner motivations to create.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of motivations
Noun
  • For this class, the premise is that your purpose in life lies to the intersection of your values, your aptitudes and your interests.
    — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 6 May 2026
  • 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
Definition of aptitudes
Noun
  • One of the main impetuses for this is that newer planes are flying further, which means airline routes are getting longer.
    — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 June 2025
Definition of impetuses
Noun
  • Beyond Carrington and Vicuña’s stylistic affinities, Lehmann and Norris pointed out how the reception of the artists’ work has changed over the decades and that both have only been canonized relatively recently.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • With its affinities for isolation and, at times, imposing scale, Land art conjures archaeology and the geological sublime—vast expanses of space and time.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of affinities

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impulse
impulses
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Cite this Entry

“Impulses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impulses. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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