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Impulse vs Compel - What's the difference?

impulse | compel |

As a noun impulse

is .

As a verb compel is

(transitive|archaic|literally) to drive together, round up.

impulse

English

(wikipedia impulse)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A thrust; a push; a sudden force that impels.
  • * S. Clarke
    • All spontaneous animal motion is performed by mechanical impulse .
  • A wish or urge, particularly a sudden one prompting action.
    • The impulse to learn drove me to study night and day.
    When I saw the new dictionary, I couldn't resist the impulse to browse through it.
  • * Dryden
    • These were my natural impulses for the undertaking.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1907, author=
    • , title=The Dust of Conflict , chapter=20 citation , passage=Tony's face expressed relief, and Nettie sat silent for a moment until the vicar said “It was a generous impulse , but it may have been a momentary one,
  • (physics) The integral of force over time.
    • The total impulse from the impact will depend on the kinetic energy of the bullet.

    Derived terms

    * impulse buy * nerve impulse * on impulse

    Related terms

    * impel * impulsion * impulsive * impulsively * impulsiveness * impulsor * pulse

    References

    * * * [ impulse in the Online Etymology Dictionary]

    Verb

    (impuls)
  • (obsolete) To impel; to incite.
    • (Alexander Pope)
    ----

    compel

    English

    Verb

  • (transitive, archaic, literally) To drive together, round up (rfex)
  • To overpower; to subdue.
  • * 1917 , , King Coal , ch. 16,
    • She had one of those perfect faces, which irresistibly compel the soul of a man.
  • To force, constrain or coerce.
    • Logic compels''' the wise, while fools feel '''compelled by emotions.
  • * 1600 , , Julius Caesar , act 5, sc. 1,
    • Against my will, / As Pompey was, am I compell’d to set / Upon one battle all our liberties.
  • * Hallam
    • Wolsey compelled the people to pay up the whole subsidy at once.
  • To exact, extort, (make) produce by force.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Commissions, which compel from each / The sixth part of his substance.
  • * 1912 , , Sky Island , ch. 14,
    • The Queen has nothing but the power to execute the laws, to adjust grievances and to compel order.
  • (obsolete) To force to yield; to overpower; to subjugate.
  • * Dryden
    • Easy sleep their weary limbs compelled .
  • * Tennyson
    • I compel all creatures to my will.
  • (obsolete) To gather or unite in a crowd or company.
  • * Dryden
    • in one troop compelled
  • (obsolete) To call forth; to summon.
  • * Spenser
    • She had this knight from far compelled .
    (Chapman)

    Derived terms

    * compellable * compeller * compelling * compellation * compel testimony

    References

    * * * Random House Webster’s Unabridged Electronic Dictionary , 1987-1996. English control verbs English transitive verbs