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.
Heartbeat also cast the show with singers experienced in musical theater, counting on their ability to articulate the English text clearly.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026
He has been the musical soul of Heartbeat since its founding, adapting works by Puccini, Donizetti and more with a vision as creative as each production’s director.
From New York Times • Apr. 4, 2024
Officials at the Northwest Center, a Washington, D.C.-based member of the Heartbeat International network, said they tell women up front they do not offer medical services.
From Washington Times • Dec. 19, 2023
More recently, Queenie has been joined by a short but charming water projection show dubbed “The Heartbeat of New Orleans — A Living Mural.”
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2023
Set in the 1960s, Heartbeat was based on the books of Peter Walker, who wrote under the pen name Nicholas Rhea.
From BBC • Jul. 26, 2023
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.
