heart
Pronounced:
/ˈhɑɚt/
Function:
nounInflected forms:
plural heartsMeaning:
1 [count] : the organ in your chest that pumps blood through your veins and arteries ▪ I could feel my heart pounding/racing. ▪ He has a bad/weak heart. —often used before another noun ▪ He suffers from a heart condition. ▪ heart failure/disease/surgery ▪ a heart murmur ▪ Aerobic exercise increases your heart rate. [=pulse] —see picture at human; see also coronary heart disease, open-heart
2 [count] : the front part of your chest ▪ He put his hand on his heart. ▪ (literary) She clutched the child to her heart. [=breast, bosom]
3 a [count] : the heart thought of as the place where emotions are felt ▪ You shouldn't let your heart rule your head. [=you should be guided by reason and not by your emotions] ▪ When she heard the news, her heart filled with joy/sorrow. ▪ You're a man after my own heart. [=we have similar likes and dislikes] ▪ He offered to help us out of the goodness of his heart. [=because he is a good person and not because he wanted to get anything for himself] ▪ He wears his heart on his sleeve. [=he shows his emotions very openly] ▪ She's not too smart, but at least her heart is in the right place. [=she is a kind person who is trying to do good things] ▪ I just didn't have the heart to tell her that I didn't like her singing. [=I couldn't tell her because I knew that she would be hurt by what I said] ▪ The idea struck fear into their hearts. [=made them very afraid] ▪ I decided to follow my heart [=to do what I truly wanted to do] and take up acting. ▪ My heart goes out to [=I feel very sorry for] the families of the victims. ▪ Her heart's desire [=greatest wish] was to become a movie star. ▪ She just couldn't find it in her heart to forgive them. ▪ I felt in my heart that our relationship was never meant to be. ▪ I think she knows in her heart that they're right. = I think she knows it in her heart of hearts. [=she knows it even though she does not want to admit it] ▪ They said they'd try to fix the problem, but I could see that their hearts (just) weren't in it. [=they did not really feel much interest or enthusiasm about doing it] b : a kind or generous feeling for other people [noncount] ▪ a ruler without heart [count] ▪ a ruler without a heart ▪ He has a kind heart. [=he treats people kindly] ▪ He has a cold/hard heart. [=he treats people in a harsh or unfriendly way] ▪ She has a big heart. = She is all heart. = She has a heart of gold. [=she is a very kind person] ▪ She has a heart of stone. [=she does not care at all about the feelings of other people] ▪ Have a heart! Can't you see he needs help? —see also change of heart, heart-to-heart, lonely hearts
4 [noncount] : feelings of love or affection ▪ It's best not to interfere in matters/affairs of the heart. [=romantic matters/affairs] ▪ He was determined to win/steal/capture her heart. [=to win her love]
5 [noncount] : emotional strength that allows you to continue in a difficult situation ▪ The team has shown a lot of heart.
6 a the heart : the central or most important part of something ▪ deep in the heart of the forest ▪ Their offices are in the heart of the city. ▪ Let's get right to the heart of the matter. b [count] : the central part of some vegetables ▪ artichoke hearts ▪ cabbage hearts
7 [count] : a shape that looks like a simple drawing of a heart and that is used as a symbol of love and affection ▪ The child decorated the card with hearts and flowers.
8 a [count] : a playing card that is marked with a red heart ▪ one heart, two diamonds, and two clubs —see picture at playing card b hearts [plural] : the suit in a deck of playing cards that consists of cards marked by hearts ▪ the king of hearts —compare club, diamond, spade
2 [count] : the front part of your chest ▪ He put his hand on his heart. ▪ (literary) She clutched the child to her heart. [=breast, bosom]
3 a [count] : the heart thought of as the place where emotions are felt ▪ You shouldn't let your heart rule your head. [=you should be guided by reason and not by your emotions] ▪ When she heard the news, her heart filled with joy/sorrow. ▪ You're a man after my own heart. [=we have similar likes and dislikes] ▪ He offered to help us out of the goodness of his heart. [=because he is a good person and not because he wanted to get anything for himself] ▪ He wears his heart on his sleeve. [=he shows his emotions very openly] ▪ She's not too smart, but at least her heart is in the right place. [=she is a kind person who is trying to do good things] ▪ I just didn't have the heart to tell her that I didn't like her singing. [=I couldn't tell her because I knew that she would be hurt by what I said] ▪ The idea struck fear into their hearts. [=made them very afraid] ▪ I decided to follow my heart [=to do what I truly wanted to do] and take up acting. ▪ My heart goes out to [=I feel very sorry for] the families of the victims. ▪ Her heart's desire [=greatest wish] was to become a movie star. ▪ She just couldn't find it in her heart to forgive them. ▪ I felt in my heart that our relationship was never meant to be. ▪ I think she knows in her heart that they're right. = I think she knows it in her heart of hearts. [=she knows it even though she does not want to admit it] ▪ They said they'd try to fix the problem, but I could see that their hearts (just) weren't in it. [=they did not really feel much interest or enthusiasm about doing it] b : a kind or generous feeling for other people [noncount] ▪ a ruler without heart [count] ▪ a ruler without a heart ▪ He has a kind heart. [=he treats people kindly] ▪ He has a cold/hard heart. [=he treats people in a harsh or unfriendly way] ▪ She has a big heart. = She is all heart. = She has a heart of gold. [=she is a very kind person] ▪ She has a heart of stone. [=she does not care at all about the feelings of other people] ▪ Have a heart! Can't you see he needs help? —see also change of heart, heart-to-heart, lonely hearts
4 [noncount] : feelings of love or affection ▪ It's best not to interfere in matters/affairs of the heart. [=romantic matters/affairs] ▪ He was determined to win/steal/capture her heart. [=to win her love]
5 [noncount] : emotional strength that allows you to continue in a difficult situation ▪ The team has shown a lot of heart.
6 a the heart : the central or most important part of something ▪ deep in the heart of the forest ▪ Their offices are in the heart of the city. ▪ Let's get right to the heart of the matter. b [count] : the central part of some vegetables ▪ artichoke hearts ▪ cabbage hearts
7 [count] : a shape that looks like a simple drawing of a heart and that is used as a symbol of love and affection ▪ The child decorated the card with hearts and flowers.
8 a [count] : a playing card that is marked with a red heart ▪ one heart, two diamonds, and two clubs —see picture at playing card b hearts [plural] : the suit in a deck of playing cards that consists of cards marked by hearts ▪ the king of hearts —compare club, diamond, spade
absence makes the heart grow fonder —see absence
at heart
1 : at the most basic level ▪ I'm really a romantic at heart. ▪ She's 81 years old, but she's still young at heart. [=she behaves and thinks like a much younger person]
2 : as a main concern ▪ We have your best interests at heart. [=we want to do what is best for you]
2 : as a main concern ▪ We have your best interests at heart. [=we want to do what is best for you]
break someone's heart
: to cause someone to feel great sorrow or sadness ▪ He broke her heart when he left her for another woman. ▪ Her boyfriend left her with a broken heart. ▪ It breaks my heart to think of how those children have suffered.
by heart
: from memory ▪ She knows the entire poem by heart. [=she has learned the poem and can recite it from memory] ▪ He learned the speech by heart.
close/dear/near to your heart
: very personally and emotionally important to you ▪ This topic is one that's very close to my heart. [=I care very much about this subject] ▪ The school is very near and dear to her heart.
cross my heart —see 2cross
cry your heart out —see 1cry
do your heart good
: to make you feel very happy ▪ It does his heart good to know that his daughters have become friends.
eat your heart out —see eat
faint of heart —see 1faint
from the bottom of your heart or from the/your heart
: in a very sincere way ▪ He thanked us from the bottom of his heart. ▪ When I said you were my best friend, I meant it from the bottom of my heart. ▪ His speech at the memorial service was straight from the heart.
harden your heart —see harden
have your heart set on (something) or set your heart on (something)
◊When you have your heart set on something or when you set your heart on something, you want it very much. ▪ She has her heart set on a new bicycle.
heart in your mouth
informal ◊If your heart is in your mouth, you are very excited or nervous about something. ▪ He waited for her arrival with his heart in his mouth.
heart is knocking —see 1knock
heart skips a beat
informal ◊When you say that your heart skipped a beat or that something made your heart skip a beat, it means that you suddenly became very surprised, excited, or nervous about something. ▪ When I learned I was on live television, my heart skipped a beat. ▪ The news was enough to make his heart skip a beat.
heavy heart
: a feeling of sadness ▪ It is with a heavy heart that I bring you this bad news.
know your own heart —see 1know
light heart
: a feeling of happiness ▪ He left for home with a light heart.
lose heart
: to begin to feel that you cannot do something that you have been trying to do : to become discouraged ▪ They never lost heart, even in the face of adversity.
lose your heart
: to fall in love with someone ▪ He met a beautiful woman and lost his heart. —usually + to ▪ She lost her heart to a dashing young artist.
open your heart
1 : to talk in a very open and honest way about your feelings ▪ He opened his heart (to her) and told her how he really felt.
2 : to begin to be generous and kind ▪ We should all open our hearts and do something to help those poor children.
2 : to begin to be generous and kind ▪ We should all open our hearts and do something to help those poor children.
pour your heart out —see pour
sick at heart
: very sad and upset ▪ The idea of children suffering from hunger made him sick at heart.
sing/dance/play (etc.) your heart out
: to sing/dance/play (etc.) with great energy or effort ▪ The band played their hearts out in hopes of winning the prize.
take heart
: to begin to feel better and more hopeful : to stop feeling sad or discouraged ▪ Take heart; things will get better soon.
take (something) to heart
: to be deeply affected or hurt by something ▪ He took their criticism (very much) to heart.
to your heart's content
: until you feel satisfied : as long or as much as you want ▪ They let him eat and drink to his heart's content. ▪ Let's go somewhere where we can talk to our hearts' content.
warm the cockles of your heart —see cockle
with all your heart
: in a very sincere and deeply felt way ▪ I love him with all my heart. ▪ She tried with all her heart to please them.
your heart bleeds for
◊If your heart bleeds for someone, you feel great sadness or pity for that person.
your heart leaps
◊When your heart leaps, you become very happy or joyful about something. ▪ Our hearts leapt when we heard that she had won.
your heart melts
◊When your heart melts, you begin to feel love, affection, or sympathy for someone or something. ▪ When he saw the puppies, his heart melted. ▪ It would have melted your heart to see her lying in that hospital bed. ▪ A warm smile melts the heart.
your heart sinks
◊When your heart sinks, you become sad or disappointed about something. ▪ My heart sank when I saw the sad expression on her face.