impulse
Spontaneous inner push
An impulse is a sudden urge to act without deliberation: I had an impulse to call her.
To buy something on impulse is to purchase it spontaneously.
In physics, impulse is a force applied briefly—a collision or impact.
The word extends to any sudden transmission of energy: a nerve impulse, an electrical impulse.
Impulsive describes someone prone to acting on urges without thinking.
What initiates action
- sparkTiny fiery particle
- catalystAgent enabling change
- promptIncite to action
- spurIncentive or heel device
impetus · provocation · incentive · motivation · goad · prod · nudge · push
Message-conveying cue
- nerveSignal-carrying body fiber
- spikeSharp rise or point
- currentDirected flow of charge
- transmissionSending of information
waveform · voltage · discharge · synapse · neural · cardiac · stimulus · response
Done without advance planning
- snapSudden sharp sound
- suddenOccurring without prior notice
- whimSudden arbitrary desire
- urgeStrong inner drive
impetuous · rash · hasty · unplanned · impromptu · unpremeditated · split-second · knee-jerk
Intense wanting
- whimSudden arbitrary desire
- notionImprecise mental impression
- inclinationDisposition toward something
- itchUrge to scratch
yearning · craving · temptation · fancy · caprice · drive · longing · hankering
trigger
What initiates action
spur · impetus · provocation · incentive · motivation · goad · prod · nudge · push · incitement
signal
Message-conveying cue
transmission · waveform · voltage · discharge · synapse · neural · cardiac · stimulus · response
spur-of-the-moment
Done without advance planning
urge · impetuous · rash · hasty · unplanned · impromptu · unpremeditated · split-second · knee-jerk · reflexive
desire
Intense wanting
- whimSudden arbitrary desire
- notionImprecise mental impression
- inclinationDisposition toward something
itch · yearning · craving · temptation · fancy · caprice · drive · longing · hankering · pull
thruster
Engine providing forward force
- engineMachine producing motion
- rocketPropulsion-driven spacecraft
- spacecraftVehicle for outer space
jet · drive · burst · boost · acceleration · thrust · maneuver · delta-v · attitude · orbital
momentum
Product of mass, velocity
impact · energy · transfer · newton · kinetics · motion · change · action · mechanical · torque
- actingacting, act, performing, playacting, actor
- improvisationimprovised, impromptu, ad lib, freestyle, ad-lib
- motivationsambition, drive, desire, goal, goals
- stimulationarousal, excitement, activation, sensory input, jolt
- urgesurge, sudden urge, craving, need, instinct
- whimswhim, whimsy, caprice, fancy, notion
impulsedeliberation
Careful weighing of choices
premeditation · forethought · calculation · planning · consideration
impulsebrake
Device to slow motion
restraint · friction · resistance · impediment · drag
- on impulseWithout prior deliberation
- impulse buyUnplanned spur-of-the-moment acquisition
- impulse purchaseUnplanned buying decision
- impulse buyingUnplanned purchase decision
- impulse controlRegulating sudden urges
- impulse buyerOne who purchases impulsively
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