- pulse
- pulse1 [pʌls] n▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1¦(heart)¦2¦(music)¦3¦(sound/light/electricity)¦4¦(feelings/opinions)¦5¦(food)¦▬▬▬▬▬▬▬[Sense: 1-4; Date: 1300-1400; : Old French; Origin: pouls, from Latin pulsus 'beating', past participle of pellere 'to hit'][Sense: 5; Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: pouls 'porridge', from Latin puls]1.) ¦(HEART)¦ [C usually singular]a) the regular beat that can be felt, for example at your wrist, as your heart pumps blood around your body▪ The doctor listened to his breathing and checked his pulse .▪ His breathing was shallow and his pulse was weak .find/detect a pulse(=check that someone is alive by trying to feel the beat of their pulse)▪ In an emergency it can be difficult to find a pulse.▪ She felt his neck. There was no pulse.b) also pulse ratethe number of heart beats per minutetake/feel sb's pulse(=count how many times someone's heart beats in a minute, usually by feeling their wrist)▪ Her pulse raced (=beat very quickly) with excitement.2.) ¦(MUSIC)¦ [U and C]a strong regular beat in music▪ the distant pulse of a steel band3.) ¦(SOUND/LIGHT/ELECTRICITY)¦an amount of sound, light, or electricity that continues for a very short time4.) ¦(FEELINGS/OPINIONS)¦[U]the ideas, feelings, or opinions that are most important to a particular group of people or have the greatest influence on them at a particular time▪ Clinton had an uncanny ability to sense the pulse of the nation.5.) ¦(FOOD)¦pulses [plural]seeds such as beans, ↑peas, and ↑lentils that you can eatpulse 2pulse2 v1.) [I]to move or flow with a steady quick beat or sound▪ She felt the blood pulsing through her veins .▪ Colored lights pulsed in time to the music.2.) [I]if a feeling or emotion pulses through someone, they feel it very stronglypulse through▪ Excitement pulsed through the crowd.3.) [I and T]to push a button on a ↑food processor to make the machine go on and off regularly, rather than work continuously▪ Pulse several times until the mixture looks like oatmeal.
Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.