heartbeat
Americannoun
noun
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.
In certain cases, this may contribute to an irregular heartbeat called arrhythmia.
From Science Daily • May 18, 2026
The baby's heartbeat was monitored and Lauryn had eight vaginal examinations, which showed her labour was not progressing.
From BBC • May 11, 2026
ETFs can defer gains by engaging in a tax maneuver called a heartbeat trade.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
But PABS, the heartbeat of the treaty, was left on the side in order to get the bulk of the deal over the line.
From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026
There was almost no time at all, a blink of the eye, a heartbeat or two, before a frothing mass of black and dark, dark gray exploded from the empty space.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
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.
