at heart
Idioms-
Fundamentally, basically, as in He's a good fellow at heart . It was first recorded in Alexander Pope's Epistle to a Lady (1735): “But every Woman is at heart a Rake.”
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In one's deepest feelings, as a great concern, as in The governor has the party's best interests at heart . [Early 1700s]
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.
He’s got sheep on his knit hat, and he’s a sheep at heart.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
It may be that your cousin’s sister has her own interests at heart, too.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
And Flintoff is - like his father and 20-year-old older brother Corey, currently in Kent's second XI ranks - an all-rounder at heart.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
I’m a portrait photographer at heart, and portraiture is my first love.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Even with all their faults, Malcolm and Maud had had their children’s interests at heart.
From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson
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.
