A pulse is the rhythmic beating you can feel in certain spots on the body as the heart pumps blood through the arteries, most often checked at the wrist or neck. In everyday health terms, it is usually the same thing as heart rate, measured in beats per minute.

Basic meaning

  • In medicine, the pulse is the number of times the heart beats in a minute and how strong and regular those beats feel.
  • A normal resting pulse for a healthy adult is usually between 60 and 100 beats per minute.

Where you feel the pulse

  • The pulse can be felt where an artery runs close to the skin: wrist, side of the neck, top of the foot, back of the knees, and groin.
  • Health professionals assess not only the rate but also the rhythm and strength of the pulse to get a quick sense of circulation and heart function.

Other uses of “pulse”

  • In general English, “pulse” can also mean any strong, regular beat, such as the beat of music or flashing lights.
  • The word is also used figuratively, for example “the pulse of a city,” meaning its underlying energy or mood.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.