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
It links the brain to the spinal cord and controls breathing, heartbeat, sleep, wakefulness and movement.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
The result was one continuous circulation loop that behaved like a steady planetary heartbeat.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
Inside the womb, the baby hears the mother’s heartbeat, the rushing sound of amniotic fluid and the mother’s voice.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Some research has found that consuming them can lead to health problems, including irregular heartbeats and high blood pressure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
These include when the electrical impulses that regulate heartbeats don't function properly, or when the walls of the heart become inflamed or damaged.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
If left unchecked, dehydration can cause more serious complications, such as fainting and irregular heartbeats.
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2025
Getting another ablation procedure, which could help treat irregular heartbeats by destroying tissue that causes abnormal electrical signals, remains an option after the initial monitoring period.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2024
Jay and I finally relaxed, sucking in deep breaths to get our heartbeats to slow down to normal.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
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.
