pulses

IPA/pʌls/
KK[pˈʌlsɪz]IPA/pʌls/

pulses — noun

  • pulsessingular
  • pulsesesplural

1. the regular expansion and contraction of your arteries that you can feel at your

1.nounA2
Definition

the regular expansion and contraction of your arteries that you can feel at your wrist, neck, or other points on your body, caused by each beat of your heart

Example

The nurse held Gita's wrist and counted her pulse for fifteen seconds.

pulse counted at wrist — medical check

After running up five flights of stairs, Bao could feel his pulse pounding in his ears.

Common collocations
  • check someone's pulse
  • take someone's pulse
  • feel someone's pulse
  • strong pulse
  • weak pulse
  • irregular pulse
  • resting pulse
  • rapid pulse
Synonyms
  • heartbeat

    the more general term for one contraction of the heart; 'pulse' specifically refers to what you feel in the arteries

  • pulse rate

    the number of beats per minute; more specific and clinical than 'pulse' alone

Grammar Patterns

check/take/feel + someone's pulse

Usage Note

Frequently used with possessive determiners: 'his pulse,' 'her pulse,' 'my pulse.' The verb 'to check/take/feel' is the most common verb partner in medical contexts.

Common Mistakes

The nurse felt his pulse rate on his arm.
The nurse felt his pulse on his wrist.
'pulse' is felt at specific points like the wrist or neck, not anywhere on the arm.

2. the action of pressing your fingers against someone's wrist or neck and counting

2.nounB1
Definition

the action of pressing your fingers against someone's wrist or neck and counting the number of heartbeats you feel in a fixed amount of time, usually one minute

Example

The paramedic immediately took the injured woman's pulse to see how fast her heart was beating.

take + someone's pulse — medical idiom

Emre learned how to check a patient's pulse during his first week of nursing training.

Common collocations
  • take someone's pulse
  • check someone's pulse
  • feel for a pulse

Grammar Patterns

take/feel + someone's pulse

3. a very short, regular burst of energy or activity, such as a flash of light, a l

3.nounB2
Definition

a very short, regular burst of energy or activity, such as a flash of light, a loud sound, a vibration, or a change in electrical current

Example

The lighthouse sent out a pulse of light every ten seconds to guide ships away from the rocks.

pulse of light — common physics/photography collocation

A sonar device sends pulses of sound through the water and listens for the echo to find objects below.

pulses of sound — sonar/echolocation context

Common collocations
  • pulse of light
  • pulse of sound
  • pulse of energy
  • pulse of electricity
  • send a pulse
  • emit a pulse
Synonyms
  • burst

    more general; a pulse is a regular, rhythmic burst whereas a burst can be a single event

  • beat

    used for repeated rhythms in music or sound, but less precise for technical energy bursts

  • impulse

    used in electronics and physics for a short electrical or mechanical signal

Grammar Patterns

pulse + of + noun

Usage Note

Common in technical contexts (physics, electronics, computing). For non-technical use, 'pulse' can also describe the beat or rhythm of music (e.g., 'the pulse of the drums').

Common Mistakes

The machine sends pulse waves into the ground.
The machine sends pulses of energy into the ground.
When describing short bursts, use 'pulses of + noun' rather than 'pulse waves.'

4. a brief, repeated switching on and off of a food processor or blender to mix, ch

4.nounB2
Definition

a brief, repeated switching on and off of a food processor or blender to mix, chop, or combine ingredients coarsely without over-processing them

Example

Give the nuts a few short pulses in the food processor until they are roughly chopped, not turned to paste.

give [ingredient] a few short pulses — cooking instruction pattern

Omar used short pulses to mix the butter into the flour until the mixture looked like coarse breadcrumbs.

Common collocations
  • short pulses
  • a few pulses
  • give something a pulse
  • use the pulse setting
  • pulse button

Grammar Patterns

give something a pulse

use the pulse setting

Usage Note

This sense is common in written recipes and cooking instructions. It can also be used as a verb (verb sense 2). The 'pulse' button on a food processor is typically labeled with a zigzag symbol.

5. dried seeds from legume plants, including beans, chickpeas, peas, and lentils, w

5.nounB1
Definition

dried seeds from legume plants, including beans, chickpeas, peas, and lentils, which people boil or cook before eating them

Example

Gita makes a hearty winter soup using a mix of pulses like red lentils, chickpeas, and split peas.

mix of pulses — common supermarket/recipe phrase

Pulses are an excellent source of protein and fibre for people who do not eat much meat.

Common collocations
  • dried pulses
  • cook pulses
  • soak pulses
  • a mix of pulses
  • pulses and grains
Synonyms
  • legumes

    broader term that includes fresh peas and green beans; 'pulses' specifically refers to dried seeds only

  • beans

    a subcategory of pulses; pulses also include lentils, chickpeas, and peas

Usage Note

In British English, 'pulses' is the broad category term for edible legume seeds. In American English, the term 'legumes' is more common for the food category, while 'pulses' is used mainly in nutrition and agricultural contexts.

Common Mistakes

I bought some pulses from the vegetable aisle.
I bought some pulses from the dried goods section.
Pulses are dried seeds; 'vegetables' usually refers to fresh produce, not dried legumes.

pulses — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Pulse and heartbeat are closely related but not interchangeable. A heartbeat refers to one single contraction of the heart muscles, while pulse describes the wave of pressure you can feel in your arteries as a result of each heartbeat. Doctors check your pulse, not your heartbeat, by pressing on your wrist. Pulse rate is a more technical term that specifically means the number of beats per minute—a nurse might say 'his pulse rate is seventy-two.' In everyday conversation, people often say 'my heart is beating fast' rather than 'my pulse is fast.' However, in medical checks, 'pulse' is the standard term: 'The doctor took my pulse' sounds natural, whereas 'The doctor took my heartbeat' would sound odd.

pulse ↗heartbeat ↗pulse rate

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • take someone's pulse
  • check someone's pulse
  • feel someone's pulse
  • pulse of light
  • pulse of sound

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'pulse' comes from the Latin 'pulsus,' meaning 'a beating' or 'a striking,' which is derived from 'pellere' meaning 'to beat, drive, or push.' It entered English through Old French 'pouls' during the 14th century, originally referring to the beating of the heart as felt through the arteries. The food meaning (edible seeds) has a completely separate origin—from Latin 'puls' meaning 'porridge' or 'meal mush,' reflecting that pulses were traditionally boiled into a thick porridge. By the 15th century, 'pulse' referred to the leguminous plants themselves. The technical sense of a brief burst of energy emerged in the 19th–20th centuries with the development of electronics and physics.

First known use

14th century

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