Giant pulses are intense flashes of radio emission by pulsars that greatly exceed the mean flux level of the pulsar. The Crab pulsar is a prolific giant pulse emitter. Although somewhat arbitrary, ten times the mean flux often designates a giant pulse.

Giant pulses tend to appear in pulsars that are very energetic, and have a large magnetic field strength at the distance of the light cylinder. The light cylinder is a fictitious cylinder that defines a surface that would have to rotate at the speed of light to maintain co-rotation with the pulsar.

Giant pulses have been found in both young pulsars and millisecond pulsars.