Impulse Meaning
/ˈɪmpʌls/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA thrust; a push; a sudden force that impels.
nounA wish or urge, particularly a sudden one prompting action.
Sentence Examples
A foolish impulse made me say what I should have left unsaid.
Maybe the impulse was working upon her subconscious.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Without any thought, he acted on a sudden ____ to shout out loud.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
On a sudden ____, she decided to buy a plane ticket and visit her sister in Italy.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Middle French impulser, from Latin impulsus.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Theſe were my natural Impulses for the undertaking: […]"
— 1685, John Dryden, transl., “Preface”, in Sylvæ: Or, The Second Part of Poetical Miscellanies, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC; reprinted Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, page 16:
"Tony's face expressed relief, and Nettie sat silent for a moment until the vicar said “It was a generous impulse, but it may have been a momentary one,[…].”"
— 1907 January, Harold Bindloss, chapter 20, in The Dust of Conflict, 1st Canadian edition, Toronto, Ont.: McLeod & Allen, →OCLC:
"An impulse urged him to plant a sudden blow on it, by he forced himself to consider the impolicy of such an act."
— 1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, →OCLC, page 218:
"With that force so impulsed and prest they are carried under the deepe Ocean."
— 1614, Walter Ralegh [i.e., Walter Raleigh], The Historie of the World […], London: […] William Stansby for Walter Burre, […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=1 to 5):
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Without any thought, he acted on a sudden ____ to shout out loud.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
On a sudden ____, she decided to buy a plane ticket and visit her sister in Italy.