heartbeat
Americannoun
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:
A majority -- 87 percent -- of respondents reported at least one health-related impact during the sweltering week, including disrupted sleep, tiredness at work as well as dizziness, fainting and a faster heartbeat.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Did thinking about all the things on my plate cause my heartbeat to rise?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
But research published in 2023 suggests this chemical messenger may also influence a small structure that performs a vital job during every heartbeat: the mitral valve.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
Fery, a virtually unknown British wild card with a triple-digit ranking, has become the emotional heartbeat of Wimbledon while legitimately diverting some national attention from England’s World Cup quest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Kicking away the sweaty sheets, I drew in deep breaths, waiting for my heartbeat to return to normal.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
The native population in the Amazon thinks that because they are fluttering so fast with a thousand heartbeats per minute that they must have more than one life in them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2026
Symptoms including dizziness or light-headedness, fainting, noticeable heartbeats, chest pain and shortness of breath.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
Atrial fibrillation is of particular concern because it causes irregular heartbeats and erratic blood flow, raising the risk of blood clots and stroke.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2025
If left unchecked, dehydration can cause more serious complications, such as fainting and irregular heartbeats.
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2025
They stood for a few heartbeats silent, and Gareth, in a pain of recognition, saw him as he was.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
