Synonyms for impulse
noun
An impelling force
push, thrust, surge, impetus, throb, vibration, pulse, pulsation, pressure, augmentation, rush, motivation, actuation, stimulus, incentive, impulsion, propulsion, stroke, momentum, shove, shock, bump, movement; see also beat 2, incentive.
A sudden urge
fancy, whim, caprice, motive, spontaneity, drive, appeal, notion, inclination, disposition, bent, vagary, freak, wish, whimsy, inspiration, hunch, flash, thought, extemporization; see also desire 1, inclination 1.
See impulse in Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus II
noun
Something that causes and encourages a given response:
encouragement, fillip, impetus, incentive, inducement, motivation, prod, push, spur, stimulant, stimulation, stimulator, stimulus. See causeAn impulsive, often illogical turn of mind:
bee, boutade, caprice, conceit, fancy, freak, humor, megrim, notion, vagary, whim, whimsy. Idiom: bee in one's bonnet. See thoughts
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