follow an impulse

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "follow an impulse" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when describing the act of acting on a sudden urge or instinct without much thought or planning. Example: "Sometimes, it's good to follow an impulse and try something new, even if it feels a bit risky."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Science

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

People who work closely with him say Obama has followed an impulse that the government must try to protect manufacturing workers — people who make things.

The Washington Post

Thrown into turmoil by the sudden death of her father, the author retreated from human company and followed an impulse to rear and train a goshawk.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Following an impulse to leap in, I began clicking on exotic menus and the strangest control panel I had ever seen: a cluster of body parts and buttons over a virtual trackball.

The New York Times - Tech

In one memorable scene, the scientist, who spends much of his time worrying about his semi-estranged wife back home, follows an impulse to visit the local maharajah in his palace.

The New York Times - Books

Following an impulse that you love in another writer takes you very quickly into the heart of you and your voice.

Huffington Post

Behind the camera, and in the editing bay, Mr. Toback appears to follow a similar impulse, using jump cuts and 360-degree pans to create a feeling of delirious, chaotic motion.

The New York Times

Following a light impulse, bumps scatter over a period that is much longer than the duration of an average bump (Fig. 7A).

Plosone

Utilizing the sampling identity and the interpolation identity associated with the LCT, we can convert a continuous-time LCT filterbank to an equivalent discrete-time LCT filterbank preceded by a Nyquist rate sampling and followed by an impulse train multiplication and a lowpass filter in the LCT domain, and vice versa.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

In block γ (Fig. 6), the ESA-HM directly exploits the cascaded nature of the nonlinear echo path (memoryless nonlinearity f, followed by an impulse response h k)): the IR h(k) is equalized by an adaptive linear filter with coefficients (hat {h}_{text {eq},l} (k)) for tap l at time k.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

But when it comes to adult male victims, there's hesitation followed by an impulse to either disregard, poke fun at, or completely discount the issue.

Vice

During a meeting with the Dutch prime minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, Mr. Bush asked the Dutch people -- and by extension other Europeans -- to think hard before they followed any impulse to pull their troops out of Iraq.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "follow an impulse" when you want to convey acting on a sudden, often irresistible urge or instinct. It suggests a lack of careful planning or consideration.

Common error

Avoid using "follow an impulse" when describing actions driven by an overwhelming and uncontrollable need. While impulses can be strong, compulsions are often associated with anxiety or distress if not acted upon. An impulse is more of a whim while a compulsion is a need.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "follow an impulse" functions as a verb phrase where 'follow' is the verb indicating the action of acting upon, and 'an impulse' is the object, representing a sudden urge or inclination. According to Ludwig AI, this phrase is correct and usable in written English.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Encyclopedias

33%

Science

33%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Academia

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "follow an impulse" is a grammatically sound phrase used to describe acting on a sudden urge or inclination. Ludwig AI confirms its correct usage in English writing. While not particularly frequent, it appears in diverse contexts, from news articles to personal narratives, with a generally neutral register. When considering alternatives, phrases like "act on a whim" or "go with your gut feeling" can provide similar meanings. Remember to consider the potential consequences before embracing every impulse!

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

act on a whim

This alternative suggests acting without planning or forethought, similar to following an impulse.

go with your gut feeling

This phrase emphasizes trusting one's intuition or instinct, aligning with the spontaneous nature of following an impulse.

obey an urge

This phrase directly suggests following a strong, sudden feeling or inclination.

give in to spontaneity

This suggests embracing unplanned and impulsive actions.

yield to temptation

This implies giving in to a desire, often one that is sudden and compelling, much like an impulse.

give way to a desire

Similar to yielding to temptation, this phrase highlights the act of succumbing to a strong urge.

listen to your intuition

This emphasizes the importance of trusting and acting on one's inner wisdom or instinct.

surrender to a feeling

This alternative highlights the act of giving in to a powerful emotion or instinct.

heed a prompting

This phrase suggests paying attention to and acting upon an inner suggestion or guidance.

take a leap of faith

This implies making a bold move based on instinct rather than reason.

FAQs

How can I use "follow an impulse" in a sentence?

You can use "follow an impulse" to describe acting on a sudden urge or instinct. For example, "I decided to "follow an impulse" and book a spontaneous trip to Italy."

What's a more formal way to say "follow an impulse"?

A more formal alternative could be "yield to a prompting" or "act upon an inclination". These phrases maintain a similar meaning but convey a more sophisticated tone.

Is it always a good idea to "follow an impulse"?

Not necessarily. While "following an impulse" can lead to exciting and unexpected experiences, it's important to consider the potential consequences before acting rashly.

What's the difference between "follow an impulse" and "act on a whim"?

"Follow an impulse" suggests a slightly stronger urge or feeling than "act on a whim". Both imply spontaneity, but an impulse might be seen as a more compelling internal drive.