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
Big Think, 11 Feb. 2026
Even the background of Mario’s world pulses with life.
—Literary Hub, 11 Feb. 2026
The score hums and pulses with modern unease, making the film feel like a fever dream that happens to borrow Brontë’s names.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 11 Feb. 2026
In turn, researchers can use these rhythmic pulses to reveal tiny changes in spacetime and detect gravitational waves caused by large, massive objects—including supermassive black holes.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 10 Feb. 2026
Interestingly, for their study, instead of real magnets, the researchers used pulses of light.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 8 Feb. 2026
The blend of Spanish, Asian, Italian and Art Deco styles — which was a really popular mix at the time, although one that defied easy design categorization — practically pulses from the walls and ceilings now.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
According to researchers, the system can deliver up to 3,000 high-energy pulses in a single session.
—New Atlas, 5 Feb. 2026
The brain relies on relatively sparse neurons that communicate with pulses in spiking patterns.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Feb. 2026
Brent Rose, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Feb. 2026
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
Noun
These features cannot be made by a single star that pulses and ejects material periodically; that would simply lead to a smooth distribution of matter.
—Big Think, 11 Feb. 2026
Even the background of Mario’s world pulses with life.
—Literary Hub, 11 Feb. 2026
The score hums and pulses with modern unease, making the film feel like a fever dream that happens to borrow Brontë’s names.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 11 Feb. 2026
In turn, researchers can use these rhythmic pulses to reveal tiny changes in spacetime and detect gravitational waves caused by large, massive objects—including supermassive black holes.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 10 Feb. 2026
Interestingly, for their study, instead of real magnets, the researchers used pulses of light.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 8 Feb. 2026
The blend of Spanish, Asian, Italian and Art Deco styles — which was a really popular mix at the time, although one that defied easy design categorization — practically pulses from the walls and ceilings now.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
According to researchers, the system can deliver up to 3,000 high-energy pulses in a single session.
—New Atlas, 5 Feb. 2026
The brain relies on relatively sparse neurons that communicate with pulses in spiking patterns.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Feb. 2026
Verb
The village pulses with a ton of energy, and the restaurant and après scene are also top-notch.
—Brent Rose, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Feb. 2026
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
-
The heart beats in the kitchen and family room, which flow to one another but still maintain enough of a separation to make each space feel distinct.—
Miriam Schwartz,
Boston Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
-
And in Los Angeles, the temperature on Wednesday reached a record high of 88 degrees, which beats their typical highs in July and August.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The beatings will continue until morale improves.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Former detainees and human rights organizations have documented systematic torture and severe abuses inside the facility, including beatings, electric shocks, suspension by limbs, prolonged stress positions and other degrading treatment.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
My car vibrates at 50 miles per hour and higher.—
John Paul,
The Providence Journal,
7 Feb. 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Pulses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulses. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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