heart attack

American  

noun

Pathology.

1. damage to an area of heart muscle that is deprived of oxygen, usually due to blockage of a diseased coronary artery, typically accompanied by chest pain radiating down one or both arms, the severity of the attack varying with the extent and location of the damage; myocardial infarction.

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heart attack British  

noun

1. any sudden severe instance of abnormal heart functioning, esp coronary thrombosis

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heart attack Scientific  

1. Necrosis of a region of the heart muscle caused by an interruption in the supply of blood to the heart, usually as a result of occlusion of a coronary artery resulting from coronary artery disease. Symptoms typically include sudden, crushing chest pain, nausea, and sweating. Characteristic changes in the electrocardiogram are used to diagnose heart attacks.

2. Also called myocardial infarction

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heart attack Cultural  

1. An episode of heart failure or the stopping of normal heart function; a coronary thrombosis. Symptoms of a heart attack include pain and pressure in the chest, which often spread to the shoulder, arm, and neck. Today, physicians tend to define heart attack in terms of muscle damage to the heart caused by oxygen deprivation.

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Etymology

Origin of heart attack

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

At 42, she had a heart attack and a stroke, then four open heart surgeries.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

At the hospital outside General Santos, Lourdes Camia said she believed her brother-in-law, who was being treated for a heart attack, was safer outside -- despite the heat.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

A cardiac arrest, which is different from a heart attack, can happen for a number of different reasons.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

The last sitting California governor with facial hair in his official portrait was James “Sunny Jim” Rolph, a cheery Republican with a toothbrush mustache who died of a heart attack in office in 1934.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

One man, I’m sure, almost had a heart attack from fright!

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall

Related Words

• cardiovascular disease
• congestive heart failure