heartbeat
Americannoun
-
heartbeats
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of heartbeat
Explanation
That regular thumping in your chest is your heartbeat, the relaxation and contraction of your heart's chambers that sends blood flowing through your body. You may notice your heartbeat after you've been exercising vigorously, or when something really scares you. It's the rhythmic pulse that can be heard through a stethoscope as your heart works to pump your blood. Figuratively, a heartbeat is also a brief, quick moment, as in "It was over in a heartbeat," or something vitally important, as in "She was the heartbeat of our Girl Scout troop." Heartbeat comes from the "repeated strike of a drum" sense of beat.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Drake Thomas, an Anthropic safety employee, posted on X that he would “burn my equity to the ground in a heartbeat for a 1% higher chance we make it out of this situation alive.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
The scans also revealed signs that the heart muscle was less able to flex normally during each heartbeat.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
Among the remedies he’s floated, according to the Nevada Independent, is using technology to measure voters’ heartbeat as a way to verify their identity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Like the Collins hit, “My Lover” sounds like it could be a cover of something old and rare, because it’s perfectly, classically constructed, with a bass line like a heartbeat, driving it along.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
Regan stood frozen, watching me for another heartbeat before sprinting for the platform.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Put tiny versions into cardiac patients to regulate heartbeats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026
New research from Australia shows that people who are physically fit actually use fewer heartbeats each day, which may help them live longer.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2025
If left unchecked, dehydration can cause more serious complications, such as fainting and irregular heartbeats.
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2025
Getting another ablation procedure, which could help treat irregular heartbeats by destroying tissue that causes abnormal electrical signals, remains an option after the initial monitoring period.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2024
Almost like there were two heartbeats in the room.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
