heart failure

American  

noun

1. a condition in which the heart fatally ceases to function.

2. Also called congestive heart failure.  a condition in which the heart fails to pump adequate amounts of blood to the tissues, resulting in accumulation of blood returning to the heart from the veins, and often accompanied by distension of the ventricles, edema, and shortness of breath.

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heart failure British  

noun

1. a condition in which the heart is unable to pump an adequate amount of blood to the tissues, usually resulting in breathlessness, swollen ankles, etc

2. sudden and permanent cessation of the heartbeat, resulting in death

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heart failure Scientific  

1. An acute or chronic inability of the heart to maintain adequate blood circulation to the peripheral tissues and the lungs, usually characterized by fatigue, edema, and shortness of breath. Heart failure has many causes, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, and cardiomyopathy.

2. Also called congestive heart failure

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Etymology

Origin of heart failure

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

"To reach the age of 91 was a miracle, overcoming kidney cancer and multiple surgeries, each time he came out fighting but heart failure along with pneumonia and sepsis took him in the end."

From BBC • May 10, 2026

Symptoms start with a flu-like illness and can progress quickly to intense inflammation in the lungs that leads to lung and heart failure.

From Salon • May 9, 2026

Schiefer, who has lost 90 pounds since he had the TAVR, still has heart failure, but said he is improving.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

The larger-than-life footballer died of heart failure and acute pulmonary edema -- a condition where fluid accumulates in the lungs -- two weeks after going under the knife.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Severe cataracts had left Stanton virtually blind, and heart failure made her weak and breathless.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling