What does impetus mean?

Definitions for impetus
ˈɪm pɪ təsim·pe·tus

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word impetus.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. drift, impetus, impulsionnoun

    a force that moves something along

  2. impulse, impulsion, impetusnoun

    the act of applying force suddenly

    "the impulse knocked him over"

GCIDE

  1. Impetusnoun

    Fig.: Impulse; incentive; stimulus; vigor; force; as, the President's strong recommendation provided the impetus needed to pass the campaign reform bill. Buckle.

Wiktionary

  1. impetusnoun

    Something that impels, a stimulating factor.

    The outbreak of World War II in 1939 gave a new impetus to receiver development.

  2. impetusnoun

    A force, either internal or external, that impels; an impulse.

  3. impetusnoun

    The force or energy associated with a moving body; a stimulus.

  4. impetusnoun

    An activity in response to a stimulus.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. IMPETUSnoun

    Violent tendency to any point; violent effort.

    Etymology: Latin.

    Why did not they continue their descent 'till they were contiguous to the sun, whither both mutual attraction and impetus carried them. Richard Bentley, Sermons.

ChatGPT

  1. impetus

    Impetus is a force, energy, or stimulus that encourages a particular action or makes it proceed more quickly; it can also refer to momentum gained by a moving object.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Impetusnoun

    a property possessed by a moving body in virtue of its weight and its motion; the force with which any body is driven or impelled; momentum

  2. Impetusnoun

    fig.: Impulse; incentive; vigor; force

  3. Impetusnoun

    the aititude through which a heavy body must fall to acquire a velocity equal to that with which a ball is discharged from a piece

  4. Etymology: [L., fr. impetere to rush upon, attack; pref. im- in + petere to fall upon, seek. See Petition.]

Wikidata

  1. Impetus

    Impetus is a re-release of the EP Passive Restraints by rock band Clutch, with two new tracks added from the Pitchfork 12". It was released in 1997, and contains five tracks.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Impetus

    im′pe-tus, n. an attack: force or quantity of motion: violent tendency to any point. [L.,—in, in, petĕre, to fall upon.]

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer

  1. impetus

    In gunnery, the altitude through which a heavy body must fall to acquire a velocity equal to that with which a ball is discharged from a piece.

Matched Categories

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

Anagrams for impetus »

  1. imputes

  2. upsmite

How to pronounce impetus?

How to say impetus in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of impetus in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of impetus in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of impetus in a Sentence

  1. Vandana Hari:

    Rising confidence in an upturn in economic and oil demand recovery around the corner is a major impetus for crude, right now, the concurrent tightening of supply due to the additional Saudi cuts is adding to the tailwinds.

  2. Mark Longabaugh:

    We just came off a devastating presidential loss in 2016, it would seem to me the actual impetus would be to expand the Democratic Party. I, just for the life of me, do n’t see any motivation for this beyond personal spite.

  3. Tom Burke:

    The big win is this shift in the focus from 2050 to 2030. I think that's an important big win, it sends it off to a better start than we had been expecting. The political agreement achieved at the G20 will create political impetus as leaders meet to start the COP.

  4. Bruce D. Porter:

    Throughout the history of the United States, war has been the primary impetus behind the growth and development of the central state. It has been the lever by which presidents and other national officials have bolstered the power of the state in the face of tenacious popular resistance.

  5. Scott Sherin:

    Every president since Ronald Reagan has talked about the pressing need to improve infrastructure across the USA, but they’ve always had other, bigger priorities to deal with, but now there’s a huge impetus to get things moving – it’s a time of optimism. If we build it, they will come. As an industry, we’re maturing, and we’re ready to take the next step. It’s time to focus on passenger rail.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

impetus#10000#26441#100000

Translations for impetus

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for impetus »

Translation

Find a translation for the impetus definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"impetus." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 14 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/impetus>.

Discuss these impetus definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for impetus? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    relating to a technique that does not involve puncturing the skin or entering a body cavity
    A frantic
    B squashy
    C victimised
    D noninvasive

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for impetus: