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heart-to-heart
heart-to-heartadjectivefrank; sincere.
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heart to heart
heart to heartCandidly, sincerely, as in We need to talk heart to heart about her coming marriage. This expression is nearly always applied to a conversation of some kind. [Mid-1900s]
heart-to-heart
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of heart-to-heart
First recorded in 1865–70
Vocabulary lists containing heart-to-heart
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:
“We had a heart-to-heart about how we can’t afford what we originally planned,” said Morgan, a part-time teacher whose husband is a military veteran.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Six months after losing his "kind, caring, clever and beautiful" partner to sudden adult death syndrome, he says remembering that "heart-to-heart in the car... makes me feel so much better".
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2025
In a heart-to-heart talk with your adult child; acknowledge the pain, hardship or misunderstanding that resulted from your actions or decisions; and ask for forgiveness.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 2, 2025
After a series of healing heart-to-heart conversations, Uchis’ mom worked for her daughters’ forgiveness — and spent ample time with her grandson before she tragically died in April.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2025
She’ll want you to come home right now for a heart-to-heart.
From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead
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Maybe Novak’s point is that, face to face and heart to heart, we don’t really fight as much as our social media avatars and elected representatives do.
From New York Times ● Jul. 28, 2022
Their heart to heart is at the center of "Chiantishire," the penultimate Season 3 episode written by series creator Jesse Armstrong.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2021
"I found it quite difficult to get through, to really have a heart to heart with people on the doorsteps."
From BBC ● May 4, 2021
“We had a good heart to heart, and he took it and ran with it and made the most of it. That’s all you ever ask for, and it was great to see.”
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 30, 2019
"From Louisville. Our white girlhood was passed together there. Our beautiful white----" "Did you give Nick a little heart to heart talk on the veranda?" demanded Tom suddenly.
From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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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.