冲动用英语可以翻译为"impulse"。来源是拉丁语，原意为"冲"或"推"。例如：

She acted on an impulse and bought the ticket without thinking. (她接受了冲动，不假思索地买了票。)

He couldn't resist the impulse to take a bite of the cake. (他抗拒不了冲动，咬了一口蛋糕。)

She regrets acting on her impulses and spending so much money. (她后悔接受冲动，花了那么多钱。)

也可以用"impulsive"来描述一个人，表示他常常会因为冲动而做出不理智的决定。例如：

He's very impulsive and often does things without thinking. (他非常冲动，经常会不假思索地做事。)

She's known for being impulsive and spontaneous. (她以冲动和自发著称。)