get to the heart of

Idioms

Find or determine the most important or essential facts or meaning. For example, It's important to get to the heart of the matter before we make any decisions. The noun heart has been used in the sense of “a vital part” since the early 1500s.

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’ve got to get to the heart of the problem, and that’s the devices and the screens,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

The father-son storyline is ultimately the most emotional part of the film, but it takes almost two hours to get to the heart of it.

From Salon • Jan. 10, 2025

Most daters and coaches say they want a more bespoke dating-app experience, starting first with more personal questionnaires that get to the heart of who someone is.

From Slate • Nov. 9, 2024

So just throwing more evidence at people doesn’t really get to the heart of the matter.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 29, 2023

After asking him to state his name for the record and establishing that he had previously appeared in court and testified against Walter McMillian, it was time to get to the heart of things.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023