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

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

Bill Heym, who is in the Novartis trial, didn’t find out that he had high levels of the particle until he suffered a heart attack.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

Hagi was appointed Romania's manager for the second time in April, taking over from Mircea Lucescu, who died at the age of 80 following a heart attack.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

Women who received beta blockers had a higher risk of death, heart attack, or hospitalization for heart failure compared with women who did not receive the drugs.

From Science Daily • May 25, 2026

So he upped the ante and gave himself a fake heart attack.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

• cardiovascular disease
• congestive heart failure