as in throbs
a rhythmic expanding and contracting
his resting pulse rate is much lower than that of most men his age
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in beats
to expand and contract in a rhythmic manner
blood vessels pulsing in time with the heartbeat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pulses
Elizabeth Riley, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
The scientists used high frequency ultrasound pulses to extract the TRPM8 from human embryonic kidney cells without damaging the cells’ environment.
—Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 25 Mar. 2026
Two pressure settings offer enough intensity to clear buildup between teeth and along the gumline, thanks to a water jet that delivers up to 1,400 pulses per minute.
—Jailynn Taylor, Allure, 24 Mar. 2026
Remote sensing that uses laser pulses to accurately measure distances to objects and create 3D models of the environment.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
To be fair, things start promisingly enough, instantly raising the pulses with a dramatic seabound scene where Claflin’s dashing sailor Edmond Dantès — at the behest of his dying captain — must navigate their ship through a violent storm.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026
The technology uses electrical pulses to directly treat the heart tissue that causes the irregular heartbeat.
—Tracy Yochum, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
Wordless electronic lounge music pulses over the speakers, hanging well above the dining room from a triple-height ceiling.
—Henri Hollis, AJC.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Based on these findings, the consortium intends to manipulate antiferromagnets using intense light pulses on trillionth-of-a-second timescales.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 11 Mar. 2026
Jessica Binns, Sourcing Journal, 18 Mar. 2026
San Antonio often gets labeled as a retirement town, but don’t let that fool you—the city pulses with youth and energy.
—Kat Stinson, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2026
The village pulses with a ton of energy, and the restaurant and après scene are also top-notch.
—Brent Rose, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Feb. 2026
The city pulses with creativity, from its interactive street art to its world-class museums.
—Essence, 7 Nov. 2025
The city pulses with ambition—as Education City hums with global ideas, and Katara hosts opera under the stars.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The Watson household, once shadowed by loss, now pulses with both memory and possibility.
—Ashley Vega, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
His hip-hop bonafides emerge halfway through on his second verse, and his memorable lines add another element to an earworm single that still pulses with energy and soul.
—Heran Mamo, Billboard, 29 Aug. 2025
The larger stretch of South Broadway counts a lot of vital music venues — HQ (formerly 3 Kings Tavern), the Skylark, the Roxy Broadway, Gothic Theatre, Swallow Hill Music and more — but the corner of South Broadway and Ellsworth still pulses with an energy that can’t be duplicated anywhere else.
—The Know, Denver Post, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
Noninvasive devices for treating headaches deliver gentle pulses of electricity to certain places on the neck or ear where the vagus nerve is very close to the surface of the skin.
—Elizabeth Riley, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
The scientists used high frequency ultrasound pulses to extract the TRPM8 from human embryonic kidney cells without damaging the cells’ environment.
—Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 25 Mar. 2026
Two pressure settings offer enough intensity to clear buildup between teeth and along the gumline, thanks to a water jet that delivers up to 1,400 pulses per minute.
—Jailynn Taylor, Allure, 24 Mar. 2026
Remote sensing that uses laser pulses to accurately measure distances to objects and create 3D models of the environment.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
To be fair, things start promisingly enough, instantly raising the pulses with a dramatic seabound scene where Claflin’s dashing sailor Edmond Dantès — at the behest of his dying captain — must navigate their ship through a violent storm.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026
The technology uses electrical pulses to directly treat the heart tissue that causes the irregular heartbeat.
—Tracy Yochum, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
Wordless electronic lounge music pulses over the speakers, hanging well above the dining room from a triple-height ceiling.
—Henri Hollis, AJC.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Based on these findings, the consortium intends to manipulate antiferromagnets using intense light pulses on trillionth-of-a-second timescales.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
Inside the shop, Miwa Tanaka, who’s worked the floor for years, says the flow of foot traffic still pulses with seasonality.
—Jessica Binns, Sourcing Journal, 18 Mar. 2026
San Antonio often gets labeled as a retirement town, but don’t let that fool you—the city pulses with youth and energy.
—Kat Stinson, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2026
The village pulses with a ton of energy, and the restaurant and après scene are also top-notch.
—Brent Rose, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Feb. 2026
The city pulses with creativity, from its interactive street art to its world-class museums.
—Essence, 7 Nov. 2025
The city pulses with ambition—as Education City hums with global ideas, and Katara hosts opera under the stars.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The Watson household, once shadowed by loss, now pulses with both memory and possibility.
—Ashley Vega, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
His hip-hop bonafides emerge halfway through on his second verse, and his memorable lines add another element to an earworm single that still pulses with energy and soul.
—Heran Mamo, Billboard, 29 Aug. 2025
The larger stretch of South Broadway counts a lot of vital music venues — HQ (formerly 3 Kings Tavern), the Skylark, the Roxy Broadway, Gothic Theatre, Swallow Hill Music and more — but the corner of South Broadway and Ellsworth still pulses with an energy that can’t be duplicated anywhere else.
—The Know, Denver Post, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulses
Verb
-
My boredom typically spurs feelings of frustration, guilt, shame—and long nutritionless spells of goggling, slack-jawed, at celebrity news on my phone while the world throbs around me.—
Daniel Smith,
The Atlantic,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Pain that is not a word throbs in his shoulders, awakens him each morning.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Slow pulsations near the end of the AGB phase lead to ejecta, but these ejecta are rarely visible directly.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
-
While the former aids in the reduction of puffiness and dark circles in the under-eye area based on hot and cold contrast therapy, the latter comes with three attachments for relieving muscle pain, tension, and soreness through rapid pulsations.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Because of its location—facing the St-Lawrence River and the Old Port—nothing beats watching summer fireworks from Terrasse sur l’Auberge up on the roof.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
-
October 23 – November 21 By midday, steadiness beats speed at work.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Prosecutors said the beatings intensified after Nantwi bit a guard’s hand.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
-
In Aden alone, the count is in the hundreds — most of them swallowed by a secret prison network managed by the UAE and its affiliated forces, where torture, beatings and abuse were common, according to the Yemeni government, human rights organizations and the United Nations.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Basically, how fast a sound source vibrates.—
Laura Kiniry,
Popular Science,
25 Mar. 2026
-
There's real grit underneath the shag haircut and thigh-high boots, though; see the discotheque scene, where her entire body vibrates with a desperate mix of hope, terror, and determination.—
Darren Franich,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pulses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulses. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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