pulse

1 of 3

noun (1)

1
a
: the regular expansion of an artery caused by the ejection of blood into the arterial system by the contractions of the heart
b
: the palpable beat resulting from such pulse as detected in a superficial artery
also : the number of individual beats in a specified time period (such as one minute)
a resting pulse of 70
2
a
: rhythmical beating, vibrating, or sounding
b
: beat, throb
3
a
: underlying sentiment or opinion or an indication of it
b
4
a
: a transient variation of a quantity (such as electric current or voltage) whose value is normally constant
b(1)
: an electromagnetic wave or modulation thereof of brief duration
(2)
: a brief disturbance of pressure in a medium
especially : a sound wave or short train of sound waves
5
: a dose of a substance especially when applied over a short period of time
pulses of intravenous methylprednisolone

pulse

2 of 3

verb

pulsed; pulsing

intransitive verb

: to exhibit a pulse or pulsation : throb

transitive verb

1
: to drive by or as if by a pulsation
2
: to cause to pulsate
3
a
: to produce or modulate (something, such as electromagnetic waves) in the form of pulses
pulsed waves
b
: to cause (an apparatus) to produce pulses
pulser noun

pulse

3 of 3

noun (2)

: the edible seeds of various crops (such as peas, beans, or lentils) of the legume family
also : a plant yielding pulse

Examples of pulse in a Sentence

Verb He could feel the blood pulsing through his veins. Dance music pulsed from the speakers. The city pulses with life.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The show also isn’t especially good at putting its finger on any particular pulse. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 The sounds aren’t produced by speakers, like the those made by typical EVs, but by air pulses forced through pipes with baffles and chambers inside. Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024 Tear bread into 1-inch pieces, and place in a food processor; pulse until coarse breadcrumbs form, about 10 pulses. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 Elector Magnetic Pulse - EMP EMPs are energy pulses that can be released from nuclear weapons explosions and portable electronics such as high-power microwave weapons (HPMWs). Chuck Brooks, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The higher frequency pulses are generated by compressing the swim bladder from the left and right in an alternating pattern. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 28 Feb. 2024 Appy Pie, a leading app builder and website builder, with its finger on the pulse of these technological shifts, stands at the vanguard of this transformation. Jon Stojan, Detroit Free Press, 28 Feb. 2024 For those attuned to the pulse of culture and innovation, this represents not just a trend but a glimpse into a future where fashion meets function in unprecedented ways. Jahan Marcu, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2024 While the defense had some issues in the final weeks of the season, the Vikings finally had a pulse on that side of the ball. Steve Silverman, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
Verb
Perhaps before a crowd, pulsing to chants and drumbeats, these oracle-like figures hunched over a heap of radiant red powder. Bridget Alex, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024 The symbolism of those eras from the 1950s to the 1990s — resistance, then hope, then sectarian turmoil — pulsed through much of Dr. Lazreg’s research. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024 To me, Scorsese has always been the apotheosis of a certain kind of American filmmaking: crisp effects, clinical execution, scene after scene pulsing with the inevitability of violence. Hazlitt, 7 Feb. 2024 From ball courts that pulse with energy to sprawling fields of dreams; from the grand stages of the Olympics to the hallowed halls of sports management, these women are rewriting the rule book and making the realm of sports better each day. Shelby Stewart, Essence, 5 Feb. 2024 Contributor For hundreds of years, the heartbeat of our global financial systems has pulsed to a centralized rhythm. Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2024 Brace yourself for neon lights, strong cocktails, and nonstop pulsing music from open until close. Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 18 Feb. 2024 By Pamela Newton Millions of people feel the irresistible draw of big cities—the opportunities for art, culture, and business; the excitement that pulses through daily life—and many novelists likewise choose to set their stories in these rich cityscapes. Pamela Newton, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2024 Add olive oil, and pulse again until mixture is silky and emulsified. Emily Weinstein, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pulse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English pous, pouce, pulse, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French pous, polz, puls, borrowed from Latin pulsus "action of beating or striking, beat, stroke, beat of the heart" ("pulse" in phrase pulsus venārum/artēriārum, literally, "beating of the veins/arteries"), noun of action from pellere "to beat against, push, strike, rouse, expel, repulse," of uncertain origin

Note: The etymology of pellere is problematic, because it lacks an obvious formal and semantic counterpart in other Indo-European languages. A traditional explanation derives it from a base *pel-d-, with the *-d- a present-tense formative marking an action reaching a definite termination (thus Ernout and Meillet in Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue latine, 8. édition, 1985; cf. tender entry 3). A hypothetically related form would be Greek pállō, pállein "to poise (a missile before it is thrown), brandish, swing, shake" (Epic aorist pêlai, 3rd singular passive pálto), though semantically the comparison is weak. A base *pel-d- would correctly produce the past participle pulsus (from *poltos < *pl̥d-t-os); however the frequentative verb pultāre "to strike repeatedly," attested in Plautus alongside pulsāre, suggests that the original past participle may have been *pultus. According to an alternative hypothesis, pellere is descended from an Indo-European base *pelh2- "approach, draw near," seen in Greek pílnamai "I draw near to, make contact with," 3rd singular aorist plêto, verbal adjective in the negated form áplētos, áplātos "unapproachable, monstrous." (The assumed semantic shift is from "approach, touch" to "push, strike.") Both Latin and Greek verbs would continue a present with nasal infix *pl̥-ne-h2-/pl̥n-h2-. These presumably are seen also in Umbrian ampentu, apentu, ampetu, 3rd singular imperative (allegedly "touches, brings near," with the prefix an- "up, upon," but the meaning of this verb, describing the first action of an animal sacrifice in the Iguvine Tables, is quite uncertain); Old Irish ˑella in adˑella "(s/he) visits, approaches," doˑella "(s/he) turns aside, goes astray" (< *φal-na-?; e-vocalism is secondary) and eblaid "(s/he) will drive/impel," suppletive future to aigid "(s/he) drives" (< *pi-plā-); Middle Welsh el, 3rd person singular present subjunctive of mynet "to go" (< *pel-ase/o-). Note that alongside pellere there is a group of first-conjugation verbs with the same base pell- that occur only with prefixes: appellāre "to speak to, address, name," compellāre "to address, appeal to, rebuke," interpellāre "to interrupt" (see appeal entry 2, compellation, interpellate). According to P. Schrijver (The Reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European Laryngeals in Latin, Rodopi, 1991, pp. 408-12), these are a relic of an original nasal present *pel-n-a-C (< *pl̥-ne-h2- with full-grade vocalism) given a thematic suffix *-i̯e/o- in derivatives. These verbs have the common underlying sense "to address (positively or negatively)," which fits fairly well with the hypothetical meaning "approach" of the base *pelh2-. For English borrowings of prefixed forms of pellere see compel, dispel, expel, impel, propel, repel.

Noun (2)

Middle English puls, probably from Anglo-French puuiz gruel, from Latin pult-, puls, probably from Greek poltos

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pulse was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near pulse

Cite this Entry

“Pulse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pulse. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pulse

1 of 3 noun
: the edible seeds of several crops (as peas, beans, or lentils) of the legume family
also : a plant yielding pulse

pulse

2 of 3 noun
1
: a regular throbbing caused in the arteries by the contractions of the heart
2
a
: rhythmical beating or throbbing
3
a
: a brief variation of a quantity (as electrical current) whose value is normally constant
b
: an electromagnetic wave or a sound wave lasting only a short length of time

pulse

3 of 3 verb
pulsed; pulsing
: to display a pulse or pulsation
the veins in his forehead pulsed

Medical Definition

pulse

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a regularly recurrent wave of distension in arteries that results from the progress through an artery of blood injected into the arterial system at each contraction of the ventricles of the heart
b
: the palpable beat resulting from such pulse as detected in a superficial artery (as the radial artery)
a very soft pulse
also : the number of such beats in a specified period of time (as one minute)
a resting pulse of 70
2
3
a
: a transient variation of a quantity (as electric current or voltage) whose value is normally constant
often used of current variations produced artificially and repeated either with a regular period or according to some code
b
: an electromagnetic wave or modulation thereof having brief duration
c
: a brief disturbance transmitted through a medium
4
: a dose of a substance especially when applied over a short period of time
therapy with pulses of intravenous methylprednisolone

pulse

2 of 2 verb
pulsed; pulsing

intransitive verb

: to exhibit a pulse or pulsation

transitive verb

1
: to cause to pulsate
2
a
: to produce or modulate (as electromagnetic waves) in the form of pulses
pulsed waves
b
: to cause (an apparatus) to produce pulses

More from Merriam-Webster on pulse

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