heart-to-heart
adjective
frank; sincere.
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heart-to-heart
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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
American
[hahrt-tuh-hahrt]
/ ˈhɑrt təˌhɑrt /
adjective
noun
heart-to-heart
British
adjective
noun
heart to heart
Idioms
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.
“We watched film, had a heart-to-heart talk and a shoot around today but that’s it.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026
Walking along a remote beach in Papua New Guinea, Shad Ellis found himself having a heart-to-heart with Will Smith, one of the most recognisable faces on the planet.
From BBC • Jan. 18, 2026
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
“Zoe and I had a heart-to-heart and I said, ‘We can adapt,’” King said, recalling how they decided to create a decentralized model for the company that would allow her to live with her family.
From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2024
Austin grabbed my roommate’s chair, turning it around like we were old buddies about to have a heart-to-heart.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
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.
