- [countable, usually singular, uncountable] impulse (to do something)
a sudden strong wish or need to do something, without stopping to think about the results 冲动；心血来潮；一时的念头 He had a sudden impulse to stand up and sing. 他突然心血来潮，想站起来唱歌。 I resisted the impulse to laugh. 我强忍着没有笑出来。 Her first impulse was to run away. 她的第一个念头就是逃走。 - on (an) impulse
The door was open and on (an) impulse she went inside. 门开着，她一时心血来潮就走了进去。 He tends to act on impulse. 他往往凭一时冲动行事。
Extra ExamplesActing on impulse, he picked up the keys and slipped them into his pocket. 他一时冲动，捡起钥匙偷偷塞进了自己的口袋。 She gave in to an impulse and took the money. 她忍不住拿了那笔钱。 We are all subject to aggressive impulses. 我们都有攻击他人的冲动。 He fought down an impulse to scream. 他压制住想要尖叫的冲动。 She felt a sudden impulse to look to her left. 她突然有种想往左看的冲动。 On an impulse, I went in and bought a box of chocolates. 我一时冲动，走进去买了一盒巧克力。 Some people will buy a pet on impulse without any idea of what is involved. 有些人会因一时冲动买只宠物，而根本不去想这意味着什么。 Supermarkets sell candy as impulse items at the checkout counter. 超市在收款柜枱摆放糖果，供顾客临时起意购买。 The little black designer dress had been an impulse buy. 这条名牌黑色小裙子是一时心血来潮买的。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- strong
- irresistible
- first
- …
- feel
- have
- be subject to
- …
- buy
- purchase
- item
- …
- on (an) impulse
- impulse towards/toward
- [countable] (specialist)
a force or movement of energy that causes something else to react 动力；冲力；冲量 nerve/electrical impulses 神经冲动；电路脉冲 The impulse is conducted along the length of the wire. 脉冲沿着导线的长度传导。
Extra ExamplesRadio waves are converted into electrical impulses. 无线电波被转换成电脉冲。 Nerve impulses are transmitted to the brain. 神经脉冲被传送至大脑。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- electrical
- nerve
- neural
- …
- generate
- send
- transmit
- …
- [countable, usually singular, uncountable] (formal)
something that causes somebody/something to do something or to develop and make progress 推动力；刺激 to give an impulse to the struggling car industry 给予挣扎中的汽车工业一点刺激 He was motivated by the impulse for social reform. 他被社会改革的冲动所驱使。
Extra Examplesthe political impulses towards joining a trade union 促使加入工会的政治推动力 the impulse that prompted economic change 促使经济变革的推动力
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- democratic
- political
- religious
- …
- lead (somebody/something) to something
- prompt somebody/something (to do something)
- impulse behind
- impulse for
- impulse towards/toward
- …
Word Originearly 17th cent. (as a verb in the sense ‘give an impulse to’): the verb from Latin impuls- ‘driven on’, the noun from impulsus ‘impulsion’, both from the verb impellere, from in- ‘towards’ + pellere ‘to drive’.