impulse noun
1 sudden strong wish
ADJ. strong | irresistible | first, original My first impulse was to run away. | sudden | basic | instinctual, natural | repressed | conflicting, contradictory, contrary | aggressive, violent | creative | sexual
VERB + IMPULSE feel, have She felt a sudden impulse to look to her left. | be subject to We are all subject to aggressive impulses. | be driven by | check, control, deny, fight (back/down), resist, restrain, stifle, suppress He fought down an impulse to scream. | give in to, obey, yield to She gave in to an impulse and took the money. | act on Acting on impulse, he picked up the keys and slipped them into his pocket. | buy sth on Some people will buy a puppy on impulse without any idea of what is involved.
IMPULSE + VERB arise Impulses that are repeatedly denied can arise in other forms.
IMPULSE + NOUN buy, purchase The little black designer dress had been an impulse buy. | buying | buyer
PREP. on (an) ~ On an impulse, I went into the shop and bought a box of chocolates. | ~ towards basic impulses towards things such as food and drink
2 movement of energy
ADJ. electrical, nerve/nervous
VERB + IMPULSE transmit Nerve impulses are transmitted to the brain. | convert sth into, transform sth into Radio waves are converted into electrical impulses.
3 sth that causes sb/sth to do sth
ADJ. positive | political, social
IMPULSE + VERB lead (sb/sth) to sth, prompt (sb/sth to sth) the impulse that prompted economic change
PREP. ~ behind the impulse behind a concept | ~ for the impulse for social reform | ~ toward the political impulses towards joining a trade union
You can also check other dicts: impulse (English, 中文解释 ), wordnet sense, Collins Definition