hearten
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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heartensimple
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heartenssimple
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have heartenedperfect
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has heartenedperfect
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am hearteningprogressive
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are hearteningprogressive
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is hearteningprogressive
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have been hearteningperfect progressive
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has been hearteningperfect progressive
Past
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heartenedsimple
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had heartenedperfect
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was hearteningprogressive
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were hearteningprogressive
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had been hearteningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hearten
Explanation
Things that hearten you cheer you up. A welcome home party will hearten even the weariest traveler. You might buy flowers for your grandmother to hearten her after a difficult week, or hearten a shy tap dancer with applause after his routine. Things that encourage or inspire, whether it's the sight of your dog waiting for you outside school or another person's success, can also be said to hearten. The figurative meaning of heart — as in "losing heart" or having a "change of heart" — is at the root of hearten, from the Old English heorte, "heart, soul, or spirit."
Vocabulary lists containing hearten
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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.
Hearten thy heart and when I call out to thee and say, 'O damsel pass on!' do not slacken thy pace, but advance as if about to run.
From The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 03 by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir
Our long-dead brothers of the roundelay, Whose meed was wine, who held that praise was pay, Hearten ye by their lives, ye singers of to-day!
From Legends & Romances of Spain by Spence, Lewis
Said the men, "From this day forth, thou art under his protection"; and she replied, "Hearten me by eating a bit and drinking a sup of water."
From The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 07 by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir
Hubub replied, "Hearten thy heart;" whereupon he rose and gave her an hundred dinars, saying "O Hubub, I have by me a dress worth an hundred gold pieces."
From The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 08 by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir
Long had he laid his burnished armour by, But still we flew his banner for a sign, Still felt his spirit like a rallying-cry Hearten the fighting line.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, July 15, 1914 by Various
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.
