Meanings
present singular third person has one's finger on the pulse · participle present having one's finger on the pulse · participle past had one's finger on the pulse · past had one's finger on the pulse · alternative have (one's) fingers on the pulse
- intransitiveTo understand (something) well.
The marketing firm I use has its finger on the consumers' pulse.
2 more examples
He has his finger on the pulse of his company, and thinks he needs to hire a few more people in sales and get rid of a few from research and development.
Kate's choice to don her pink suit again now, at the height of the Barbiecore trend, shows the royal really does have her finger on the pulse. That, paired with her statement belt and the fact pearls are having a real fashion moment (courtesy of the Met Gala) is three big ticks from us.
2023 May 26, Natasha Harding, Alexandria Dale, “Kate Middleton just re-wore her Alexander McQueen baby pink trouser suit”, in Women's Health
Translations
French prendre le pouls
- prendre le poulsto understand something well
Italian sentire il polso
- sentire il polsoto understand something well
Cite this entry
have one's finger on the pulse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20one's%20finger%20on%20the%20pulse
“have one's finger on the pulse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20one's%20finger%20on%20the%20pulse. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “have one's finger on the pulse,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20one's%20finger%20on%20the%20pulse.
Source: have one's finger on the pulse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.