Impulse - Definition

n 1: an instinctive motive; "profound religious impulses" [syn:
urge, impulse]
2: a sudden desire; "he bought it on an impulse" [syn:
caprice, impulse, whim]
3: the electrical discharge that travels along a nerve fiber;
"they demonstrated the transmission of impulses from the
cortex to the hypothalamus" [syn: nerve impulse, nervous
impulse, neural impulse, impulse]
4: (electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical
state (or a series of such transients); "the pulsations
seemed to be coming from a star" [syn: pulsation,
pulsing, pulse, impulse]
5: the act of applying force suddenly; "the impulse knocked him
over" [syn: impulse, impulsion, impetus]
6: an impelling force or strength; "the car's momentum carried
it off the road" [syn: momentum, impulse]