heart attack

American  

noun

Pathology.

• heart attacks
  plural

1. damage to an area of heart muscle that is deprived of oxygen, usually due to blockage of a diseased coronary artery, typically accompanied by chest pain radiating down one or both arms, the severity of the attack varying with the extent and location of the damage; myocardial infarction.

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heart attack British  

noun

1. any sudden severe instance of abnormal heart functioning, esp coronary thrombosis

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heart attack Scientific  

1. Necrosis of a region of the heart muscle caused by an interruption in the supply of blood to the heart, usually as a result of occlusion of a coronary artery resulting from coronary artery disease. Symptoms typically include sudden, crushing chest pain, nausea, and sweating. Characteristic changes in the electrocardiogram are used to diagnose heart attacks.

2. Also called myocardial infarction

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heart attack Cultural  

1. An episode of heart failure or the stopping of normal heart function; a coronary thrombosis. Symptoms of a heart attack include pain and pressure in the chest, which often spread to the shoulder, arm, and neck. Today, physicians tend to define heart attack in terms of muscle damage to the heart caused by oxygen deprivation.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• heart attacks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of heart attack

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heart attack

Before his death from a heart attack in October 2024, Salmond was pursuing a separate civil case against the Scottish government, seeking damages arising from unlawful handling of complaints against him.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

It sounds very weird to say this, but a heart attack is one of the best things that happened in my life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Regular stair climbing was also associated with a lower likelihood of developing serious cardiovascular conditions, including heart attack, stroke, and heart failure.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

That's when cold water can cause a sudden heart attack by increasing your heart rate, or making you gasp for breath and inhaling water directly into the lungs, leading to drowning.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

“Well, first, I fell down and Bernard almost gave himself a heart attack laughing at me.”

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

Related Words

• cardiovascular disease
• congestive heart failure