as in throbs
a rhythmic expanding and contracting
his resting pulse rate is much lower than that of most men his age
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in beats
to expand and contract in a rhythmic manner
blood vessels pulsing in time with the heartbeat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pulses
Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2026
Unlike traditional copper phone lines that transmit information as electrical signals, fiber-optic cables are tiny bendable strands of glass through which data is sent as photons — lasers emitting pulses of light — at far higher speed, using less energy.
—Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
Then, at the edge of a wall, light that shouldn’t be there pulses.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 24 Jan. 2026
But when earthquakes rupture the crust beneath the Southern Ocean, those hydrothermal systems briefly intensify, releasing pulses of iron that are mixed upward through the water column.
—New Atlas, 22 Jan. 2026
In the heart of downtown, Union Square pulses with luxury storefronts, street performers, and the clang of cable cars.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The album again proved Wallen’s ability to create music with genre-spanning, timeless appeal, pulses of R&B, rock and hip-hop interlaced through his core country sound.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 21 Jan. 2026
To put it simply, LED treatment works by emitting infrared light pulses that penetrate beyond the superficial layer of the skin.
—Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 20 Jan. 2026
Its combination of homemade industrial drones, mechanical pulses, and sustained low frequencies functions almost as a continuous score.
—Andy Hazel, IndieWire, 16 Jan. 2026
Essence, 7 Nov. 2025
The city pulses with ambition—as Education City hums with global ideas, and Katara hosts opera under the stars.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The Watson household, once shadowed by loss, now pulses with both memory and possibility.
—Ashley Vega, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
His hip-hop bonafides emerge halfway through on his second verse, and his memorable lines add another element to an earworm single that still pulses with energy and soul.
—Heran Mamo, Billboard, 29 Aug. 2025
The larger stretch of South Broadway counts a lot of vital music venues — HQ (formerly 3 Kings Tavern), the Skylark, the Roxy Broadway, Gothic Theatre, Swallow Hill Music and more — but the corner of South Broadway and Ellsworth still pulses with an energy that can’t be duplicated anywhere else.
—The Know, Denver Post, 15 Aug. 2025
That culture still pulses through basements and backrooms across the boroughs.
—Amy Harclerode, New York Daily News, 8 Aug. 2025
Game day weekends in Charlotte are electric; the city pulses to the beat of the Panthers fans’ energy.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 8 Aug. 2025
Noun
Instead of sending information as electrical signals through copper wire, fiber uses strands of ultra-pure glass—each one thinner than a human hair—to carry data as pulses of light.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2026
Unlike traditional copper phone lines that transmit information as electrical signals, fiber-optic cables are tiny bendable strands of glass through which data is sent as photons — lasers emitting pulses of light — at far higher speed, using less energy.
—Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
Then, at the edge of a wall, light that shouldn’t be there pulses.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 24 Jan. 2026
But when earthquakes rupture the crust beneath the Southern Ocean, those hydrothermal systems briefly intensify, releasing pulses of iron that are mixed upward through the water column.
—New Atlas, 22 Jan. 2026
In the heart of downtown, Union Square pulses with luxury storefronts, street performers, and the clang of cable cars.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The album again proved Wallen’s ability to create music with genre-spanning, timeless appeal, pulses of R&B, rock and hip-hop interlaced through his core country sound.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 21 Jan. 2026
To put it simply, LED treatment works by emitting infrared light pulses that penetrate beyond the superficial layer of the skin.
—Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 20 Jan. 2026
Its combination of homemade industrial drones, mechanical pulses, and sustained low frequencies functions almost as a continuous score.
—Andy Hazel, IndieWire, 16 Jan. 2026
Verb
The city pulses with creativity, from its interactive street art to its world-class museums.
—Essence, 7 Nov. 2025
The city pulses with ambition—as Education City hums with global ideas, and Katara hosts opera under the stars.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The Watson household, once shadowed by loss, now pulses with both memory and possibility.
—Ashley Vega, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
His hip-hop bonafides emerge halfway through on his second verse, and his memorable lines add another element to an earworm single that still pulses with energy and soul.
—Heran Mamo, Billboard, 29 Aug. 2025
The larger stretch of South Broadway counts a lot of vital music venues — HQ (formerly 3 Kings Tavern), the Skylark, the Roxy Broadway, Gothic Theatre, Swallow Hill Music and more — but the corner of South Broadway and Ellsworth still pulses with an energy that can’t be duplicated anywhere else.
—The Know, Denver Post, 15 Aug. 2025
That culture still pulses through basements and backrooms across the boroughs.
—Amy Harclerode, New York Daily News, 8 Aug. 2025
Game day weekends in Charlotte are electric; the city pulses to the beat of the Panthers fans’ energy.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulses
Verb
-
Pain that is not a word throbs in his shoulders, awakens him each morning.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
6 Jan. 2026
-
While the game is played across the country, its pulse throbs in Rio.—
Michal Ruprecht,
NPR,
28 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
While the former aids in the reduction of puffiness and dark circles in the under-eye area based on hot and cold contrast therapy, the latter comes with three attachments for relieving muscle pain, tension, and soreness through rapid pulsations.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The silvered soleil face shows black subdials and an outer bright blue pulsations scale calibrated for 15 pulsations.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Hollywood has returned again and again to the Hellraiser well — with a whopping nine sequels and a 2022 reboot — but nothing beats the original.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
-
On a blustery cold winter night, nothing beats a steamy cup of hot chocolate.—
Heather Riske,
Better Homes & Gardens,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The morality police patrol streets and other public areas looking for violators, who face arrest, fines, beatings, or detention.—
Agustina Vergara Cid,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Salaam recalls violent confrontations — tear gas, beatings and even police motorcycles driven into crowds.—
Wakisha Bailey,
CBS News,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The former allows the player to set beats-per-minute, beats per bar, select different rhythms and whether a sound beeps and/or the device vibrates to the beat.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The red vibrates off the page in such a pleasing way.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pulses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulses. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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