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View synonyms for pulse

pulse

1

[ puhls ]

noun

  1. the regular throbbing of the arteries, caused by the successive contractions of the heart, especially as may be felt at an artery, as at the wrist.
  2. a single pulsation, or beat or throb, of the arteries or heart.
  3. the rhythmic recurrence of strokes, vibrations, or undulations.
  4. a single stroke, vibration, or undulation.
  5. Electricity. a momentary, sudden fluctuation in an electrical quantity, as in voltage or current.
  6. Physics. a single, abrupt emission of particles or radiation.
  7. a throb of life, emotion, etc.
  8. the general attitude, sentiment, preference, etc., as of the public.


verb (used without object)

pulsed, pulsing.
  1. to beat or throb; pulsate.
  2. to beat, vibrate, or undulate.
  3. Physics. to emit particles or radiation periodically in short bursts.

verb (used with object)

pulsed, pulsing.
  1. to cause to pulse.
  2. Medicine/Medical. to administer (medication) in interrupted, often concentrated dosages to avoid unwanted side effects.

pulse

2

[ puhls ]

noun

  1. the edible seeds of certain leguminous plants, as peas, beans, or lentils.
  2. a plant producing such seeds.

pulse

1

/ pʌls /

noun

  1. physiol
    1. the rhythmic contraction and expansion of an artery at each beat of the heart, often discernible to the touch at points such as the wrists
    2. a single pulsation of the heart or arteries
  2. physics electronics
    1. a transient sharp change in voltage, current, or some other quantity normally constant in a system
    2. one of a series of such transient disturbances, usually recurring at regular intervals and having a characteristic geometric shape
    3. ( as modifier ) Less common nameimpulse

      a pulse generator

    1. a recurrent rhythmic series of beats, waves, vibrations, etc
    2. any single beat, wave, etc, in such a series
  3. bustle, vitality, or excitement

    the pulse of a city

  4. the feelings or thoughts of a group or society as they can be measured

    the pulse of the voters

  5. keep one's finger on the pulse
    to be well-informed about current events
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. intr to beat, throb, or vibrate
  2. tr to provide an electronic pulse to operate (a slide projector)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

pulse

2

/ pʌls /

noun

  1. the edible seeds of any of several leguminous plants, such as peas, beans, and lentils
  2. the plant producing any of these seeds
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

pulse

/ pŭls /

  1. The rhythmic expansion and contraction of the arteries as blood is pumped through them by the heart. The pulse can be felt at several parts of the body, as over the carotid and radial arteries.
  2. A dose of a medication or other substance given over a short period of time, usually repetitively.
    1. A brief sudden change in a normally constant quantity, such as an electric current or field.
    2. Any of a series of intermittent occurrences characterized by a brief sudden change in a quantity.
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Derived Forms

  • ˈpulseless, adjective
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Other Words From

  • un·pulsing adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of pulse1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English pous(e), puls(e), from Old French pous, pulse, and Latin pulsus “a beat, stroke, throb,” noun use of past participle of pellere “to push, drive, strike”

Origin of pulse2

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English puls, pols, from Old French pous, pouls, pols, from Latin puls “porridge; thick pap of meal”; poultice
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Word History and Origins

Origin of pulse1

C14 pous, from Latin pulsus a beating, from pellere to beat

Origin of pulse2

C13 pols, from Old French, from Latin puls pottage of pulse
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Idioms and Phrases

see take the pulse of .
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Example Sentences

Previously, the 36-year-old said he had been diagnosed with "a 2:1 block in my heart", where the heart beats more slowly or with an abnormal rhythm because of a problem with the electrical pulses.

From BBC

It’s officially time for an autopsy because journalism has no pulse.

From Salon

He had been diagnosed with "a 2:1 block in my heart", George said, where the heart beats more slowly or with an abnormal rhythm because of a problem with the electrical pulses.

From BBC

They checked her blood pressure but did not inspect the area of the operation or check her heart rate and pulse, the inquest heard.

From BBC

When cropland is watered, it can result in “pulsing events,” where soil bacteria are reactivated and release large amounts of pollution.

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Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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pulsatorypulse-amplitude modulation

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