heartstrings
Americanplural noun
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of heartstrings
First recorded in 1475–85; heart + strings ( def. )
Vocabulary lists containing heartstrings
Vocabulary from poems about being an American
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"Refugee in America"
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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.
Positive trainers, he said, can tug at heartstrings by promising that everything can be fixed without punishments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Empathy, on stage, becomes a cornerstone of experiencing live performance that pulls heartstrings, inspires raucous laughter or elicits a collective groan when a poorly-hatched plan falters.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
Sometimes, it’s easier to say “no” to a request than to resist someone pulling at your heartstrings to acquiesce to their wishes.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 4, 2026
He said claims like Wandelt's "pull on your heartstrings" but were "damaging" to the search for his daughter.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2025
To get them interested you had to pull at the heartstrings.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
