pulse
[noun]
Synonyms:
- beat, beating, pulsation, rhythm, throb, throbbing, vibration
[verb]
Synonyms:
- beat, pulsate, throb, vibrate

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. pulse¹ /pʌls/ noun
[Sense 1-4: Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: pouls, from Latin pulsus 'beating', past participle of pellere 'to hit']
[Sense 5: Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: pouls 'porridge', from Latin puls]

1. HEART [countable usually singular] the regular beat that can be felt, for example at your wrist, as your heart pumps blood around your body ⇒ heartbeat:
His breathing was shallow and his pulse was weak.
take sb’s pulse (=count the beats of their pulse, usually by feeling their wrist)
check/feel somebody's pulse
The doctor listened to his breathing and checked his pulse.
find a pulse (=be able to feel a pulse, which shows that someone is alive)
I held his wrist, trying to find a pulse.
She felt his neck. There was no pulse.
pulse rate (=the number of beats that can be felt in a minute)
If your pulse rate is between 90 and 100, it is likely that you are unfit.
Her pulse raced (=beat very quickly) with excitement.

2. MUSIC [uncountable and countable] a strong regular beat in music:
the distant pulse of a steel band

3. SOUND/LIGHT/ELECTRICITY [countable] an amount of sound, light, or electricity that continues for a very short time

4. FEELINGS/OPINIONS [uncountable] 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 eat
⇒ have/keep your finger on the pulse at finger¹(6)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. pulse² verb

1. [intransitive] 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. [intransitive] if a feeling or emotion pulses through someone, they feel it very strongly
pulse through
Excitement pulsed through the crowd.

3. [intransitive and transitive] 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.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

pulse
noun
ADJ. fast, racing, rapid | slow | strong | faint, weak
VERB + PULSE check, feel, take Last time I took my pulse, it was a bit fast.
check for, feel for She reached in through the driver's broken window and checked for a pulse.
find | quicken There was little to quicken the pulse in his dull routine.
PULSE + VERB beat | quicken, race She felt her pulse quicken as she recognized the voice.
slow
PULSE + NOUN rate My at-rest pulse rate is usually about 80 beats per minute.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

pulse

take somebody's pulse (=count the beats of their pulse)
Remember to take your pulse at intervals while you are exercising.
check/feel somebody's pulse
The nurse left the room after checking the girl's pulse.
feel for a pulse (=try to find and check someone's pulse)
I felt for a pulse, but I couldn't find one.
find a pulse (=be able to feel a pulse, which shows that someone is alive)
To her relief, she found a pulse.
somebody's pulse beats
His pulse began to beat with a fierce rhythm.
somebody's pulse races (=beats very quickly)
His long fingers brushed hers, sending her pulse racing.
somebody's pulse quickens (=starts to beat faster)
He heard a footfall in the passage outside and felt his pulse quicken.
weak/faint
The boy's pulse was very weak.
strong
He's breathing better. The pulse is stronger too.
rapid/fast
Symptoms include a rapid pulse and dry skin.
slow
Her pulse was slow but steady.
normal
A normal pulse is between 70 and 90 beats a minute.
pulse rate (=how fast your pulse beats)
The doctor checked my weight and pulse rate.
pulse beat
The rhythm was steady, as regular as a pulse beat.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲