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
An intimate look at the life of soon-to-be 18-year-old Bruno, whose youthful impulses and longings stand in contradiction to the responsibility of being the sole carer for his ailing 86-year-old grandmother.
—
Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 19 Sep. 2025
These platforms reward our worst impulses, where the angriest voices get the most attention, and where nuanced conversation gets drowned out by digital screaming matches.
—Margie Warrell, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Gaudí’s secular and sacred impulses overlapped.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Nominally, this is a feel-good redemption drama, though Perry can’t help indulging some darker impulses as well.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2025
Rusty wanted to do something stupid, but the calming presence of Billy negated all of Rusty’s throbbing impulses.
—Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
In competitive authoritarian regimes, however, there’s a constant push and pull between democratic and autocratic impulses.
—Karrin Vasby Anderson, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
With Parkinson’s, doctors implant electrodes in the brain that produce electrical impulses to disrupt the abnormal signals that cause tremors, stiffness and slow movement.
—Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2025
The issue is that if the impulses behind these choices are recognizable in theory, the characters themselves are broad to the point of abstraction.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 19 Sep. 2025
These platforms reward our worst impulses, where the angriest voices get the most attention, and where nuanced conversation gets drowned out by digital screaming matches.
—Margie Warrell, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Gaudí’s secular and sacred impulses overlapped.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Nominally, this is a feel-good redemption drama, though Perry can’t help indulging some darker impulses as well.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2025
Rusty wanted to do something stupid, but the calming presence of Billy negated all of Rusty’s throbbing impulses.
—Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
In competitive authoritarian regimes, however, there’s a constant push and pull between democratic and autocratic impulses.
—Karrin Vasby Anderson, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
With Parkinson’s, doctors implant electrodes in the brain that produce electrical impulses to disrupt the abnormal signals that cause tremors, stiffness and slow movement.
—Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2025
The issue is that if the impulses behind these choices are recognizable in theory, the characters themselves are broad to the point of abstraction.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impulses
Noun
-
Green technologies may qualify for financial incentives.—
Michaila Byrne,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
-
In the past few decades market mechanisms and financial incentives to address deforestation have been implemented, notably in regions with high rates of deforestation through jurisdictional REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) programs.—
Robert G. Eccles,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
While bad tendencies showed up in each loss enough good things seemed to appear in the wins.—
Larry Fleisher,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
To identify workaholics, the researchers used established psychological surveys that measure both excessive and compulsive working tendencies.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Ward and Curlee also started the app Counterbalance, which provides daily encouragements, recipes, community and more.—
Emy LaCroix,
People.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
While the corrupt scheme was well documented journalistically and much of the evidence is indicative, ultimately Argentina's Judiciary followed its political inclinations all the way to the top.—
Agustino Fontevecchia,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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The artist’s ability to straddle the line between tomboy inclinations and ultra-glam moments is what has always attracted me to her style.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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What investigators conclude about Robinson’s motivations may have far-reaching consequences beyond his own criminal case.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
17 Sep. 2025
-
When employers look past pedigrees and see workers’ singular abilities, histories, and motivations, skills gaps disappear.—
Ryan Stowers,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 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
-
Students are sorted into these houses based on their personalities and magical aptitudes.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Forty years ago, Donald Homa, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University specializing in memory and the visual perception of linguistic stimuli, was contacted by officials at the American Speed Reading Academy with an extraordinary tale.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
16 Sep. 2025
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Using a mouse model lacking the Cntnap2 gene, scientists recorded heightened activity in the RTN when animals faced stimuli such as light flashes or air puffs.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
And in the very final paragraph of Mansfield Park, the object of Fanny’s affections is not a person so much as a property.—
Lucy Worsley
September 16,
Literary Hub,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The new film from the husband-and-lesbian-wife duo Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke features Margaret Qualley playing gay (again) as the titular detective Honey, with Aubrey Plaza co-starring as a gruff cop who is the object of her affections.—
James Factora,
Them.,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impulses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impulses. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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