heart
Anatomy. a hollow, pumplike organ of blood circulation, composed mainly of rhythmically contractile smooth muscle, located in the chest between the lungs and slightly to the left and consisting of four chambers: a right atrium that receives blood returning from the body via the superior and inferior vena cavae, a right ventricle that pumps the blood through the pulmonary artery to the lungs for oxygenation, a left atrium that receives the oxygenated blood via the pulmonary veins and passes it through the mitral valve, and a left ventricle that pumps the oxygenated blood, via the aorta, throughout the body.
Zoology.
the homologous structure in other vertebrates, consisting of four chambers in mammals and birds and three chambers in reptiles and amphibians.
the analogous contractile structure in invertebrate animals, as the tubular heart of the spider and earthworm.
the center of the total personality, especially with reference to intuition, feeling, or emotion: In your heart you know I'm an honest man.
the center of emotion, especially as contrasted to the head as the center of the intellect: His head told him not to fall in love, but his heart had the final say.
spirit, courage, or enthusiasm: His heart sank when he walked into the room and saw their gloomy faces.
the innermost or central part of anything: Notre Dame stands in the very heart of Paris.
the vital or essential part; core: the heart of the matter.
the breast or bosom: to clasp a person to one's heart.
a person (used especially in expressions of praise or affection): dear heart.
a conventional shape with rounded sides meeting in a point at the bottom and curving inward to a cusp at the top.
a red figure or pip of this shape on a playing card.
a card of the suit bearing such figures.
hearts,
(used with a singular or plural verb) the suit so marked: Hearts is trump. Hearts are trump.
(used with a singular verb) a game in which the players try to avoid taking tricks containing this suit.
Botany. the core of a tree; the solid central part without sap or albumen.
good condition for production, growth, etc., as of land or crops.
Also called core. Ropemaking. a strand running through the center of a rope, the other strands being laid around it.
Archaic.
to fix in the heart.
to encourage.
Informal. to like or enjoy very much; love: I heart Chicago.
Idioms about heart
after one's own heart, in keeping with one's taste or preference: There's a man after my own heart!
at heart, in reality; fundamentally: At heart she is a romantic.
break someone's heart, to cause someone great disappointment or sorrow, as to disappoint in love: The news that their son had been arrested broke their hearts.
by heart, by memory; word-for-word: They knew the song by heart.
cross one's heart, to maintain the truth of one's statement; affirm one's integrity: That's exactly what they told me, I cross my heart!
do someone's heart good, to give happiness or pleasure to; delight: It does my heart good to see you again.
eat one's heart out, to have jealousy, longing, or sorrow dominate one's emotions (often used in the imperative and with jocular reference to a famous potential rival): My baby is a genius—Einstein, eat your heart out! He’s eating his heart out over his defeat.
from the bottom of one's heart, with complete sincerity.: Also from one's heart, from the heart .
have a heart, to be compassionate or merciful: Please have a heart and give her another chance.
have at heart, to have as an object, aim, or desire: to have another's best interests at heart.
have one's heart in one's mouth, to be very anxious or fearful: He wanted to do the courageous thing, but his heart was in his mouth.
have one's heart in the right place, to be fundamentally kind, generous, or well-intentioned: The old gentleman may have a stern manner, but his heart is in the right place.
heart and soul, enthusiastically; fervently; completely: They entered heart and soul into the spirit of the holiday.
in one's heart of hearts, in one's private thoughts or feelings; deep within one: He knew, in his heart of hearts, that the news would be bad. : Also in one's heart .
lose one's heart to, to fall in love with: He lost his heart to the prima ballerina.
my heart is full. See entry at my heart is full.
near / dear / close to one's heart, of great interest or concern to one: It is a cause that is very near to his heart.
not have the heart, to lack the necessary courage or callousness to do something: No one had the heart to tell him he was through as an actor.
pour out one's heart, to reveal one's thoughts or private feelings:She poured out her heart to me. : Also open one's heart .
set one's heart against, to be unalterably opposed to: She had set her heart against selling the statue. : Also have one's heart set against .
set one's heart at rest, to dismiss one's anxieties: She couldn't set her heart at rest until she knew he had returned safely.
set one's heart on, to wish for intensely; determine on: She has set her heart on going to Europe after graduation. : Also have one's heart set on .
take heart, to regain one's courage; become heartened: Her son's death was a great blow, but she eventually took heart, convinced that God had willed it.
take / lay to heart,
to think seriously about; concern oneself with: He took to heart his father's advice.
to be deeply affected by; grieve over: She was prone to take criticism too much to heart.
to one's heart's content, until one is satisfied; as much or as long as one wishes: The children played in the snow to their heart's content.
wear one's heart on one's sleeve,
to make one's intimate feelings or personal affairs known to all: She was not the kind who would wear her heart on her sleeve.
to be liable to fall in love; fall in love easily: How lovely to be young and wear our hearts on our sleeves!
with all one's heart,
with earnestness or zeal.
with willingness; cordially: She welcomed the visitors with all her heart.
Origin of heart
1Words that may be confused with heart
- hart, heart
Words Nearby heart
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use heart in a sentence
Over time it was pretty clear what the Lord was doing in our hearts and now we’re sitting here today, starting a whole new chapter together.
WNBA Player Maya Moore Marries Jonathan Irons, The Man She Helped Free From Prison | Jasmine Grant | September 17, 2020 | Essence.com“To really get at the heart of this question, we need to go to Venus,” says Paul Byrne, a planetary scientist at North Carolina State University and a self-professed “Venus evangelical.”
We need to go to Venus as soon as possible | Neel Patel | September 16, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewMy heart would be beating faster and faster every time he gets the ball.
A Canadian Teenager Is One Of The Fastest Soccer Players In The World | Julian McKenzie | September 16, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightIts technology is at the heart of the more than 1 billion smartphones sold annually.
Nvidia is buying SoftBank’s Arm chip division in biggest semiconductor deal ever | Claire Zillman, reporter | September 14, 2020 | FortuneIt will take more research to confirm the study’s findings and understand what they could mean for these young hearts.
College athletes show signs of possible heart injury after COVID-19 | Aimee Cunningham | September 11, 2020 | Science News
The questions going through my mind are: How on earth are there Kalashnikovs and rocket launchers in the heart of Paris?
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive | Ayaan Hirsi Ali | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTBut at the heart of this “Truther” conspiracy theory is the idea that “someone” wants to destroy Bill Cosby.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers | Stereo Williams | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTShe fills her characters up—strong women beating back against a sexist system—with so much heart.
Oscars 2015: The Daily Beast’s Picks, From Scarlett Johansson to ‘Boyhood’ | Marlow Stern | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTOne specific kind of emergency is at the heart of this, such as when an airplane suffers a loss of stability at night.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly? | Clive Irving | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTActing legend talks about what role is closest to her heart.
The blood that accused his friend in his heart, rushed to his face, when he repeated what had been told him.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane PorterAfter all, may not even John Burns be human; may not Mr. Chamberlain himself have a heart that can feel for another?
God and my Neighbour | Robert BlatchfordTurn away from sin and order thy hands aright, and cleanse thy heart from all offence.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousHer heart fluttered violently with fear as she saw that he stepped out after her, and walked by her side toward the house.
Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le FanuFor of sadness cometh death, and it overwhelmeth the strength, and the sorrow of the heart boweth down the neck.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
British Dictionary definitions for heart
/ (hɑːt) /
the hollow muscular organ in vertebrates whose contractions propel the blood through the circulatory system. In mammals it consists of a right and left atrium and a right and left ventricle: Related adjective: cardiac
the corresponding organ or part in invertebrates
this organ considered as the seat of life and emotions, esp love
emotional mood or disposition: a happy heart; a change of heart
tenderness or pity: you have no heart
courage or spirit; bravery
the inmost or most central part of a thing: the heart of the city
the most important or vital part: the heart of the matter
(of vegetables such as cabbage) the inner compact part
the core of a tree
the part nearest the heart of a person; breast: she held him to her heart
a dearly loved person: usually used as a term of address: dearest heart
a conventionalized representation of the heart, having two rounded lobes at the top meeting in a point at the bottom
a red heart-shaped symbol on a playing card
a card with one or more of these symbols or (when pl.) the suit of cards so marked
a fertile condition in land, conducive to vigorous growth in crops or herbage (esp in the phrase in good heart)
after one's own heart appealing to one's own disposition, taste, or tendencies
at heart in reality or fundamentally
break one's heart or break someone's heart to grieve or cause to grieve very deeply, esp through love
by heart by committing to memory
cross my heart! or cross my heart and hope to die! I promise!
eat one's heart out to brood or pine with grief or longing
from one's heart or from the bottom of one's heart very sincerely or deeply
have a heart! be kind or merciful
have one's heart in it (usually used with a negative) to have enthusiasm for something
have one's heart in one's boots to be depressed or down-hearted
have one's heart in one's mouth or have one's heart in one's throat to be full of apprehension, excitement, or fear
have one's heart in the right place
to be kind, thoughtful, or generous
to mean well
have the heart (usually used with a negative) to have the necessary will, callousness, etc (to do something): I didn't have the heart to tell him
heart and soul absolutely; completely
heart of hearts the depths of one's conscience or emotions
heart of oak a brave person
in one's heart secretly; fundamentally
lose heart to become despondent or disillusioned (over something)
lose one's heart to to fall in love with
near to one's heart or close to one's heart cherished or important
set one's heart on to have as one's ambition to obtain; covet
take heart to become encouraged
take to heart to take seriously or be upset about
to one's heart's content as much as one wishes
wear one's heart on one's sleeve to show one's feelings openly
with all one's heart or with one's whole heart very willingly
(intr) (of vegetables) to form a heart
an archaic word for hearten
Origin of heart
1- See also hearts
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for heart
[ härt ]
The hollow, muscular organ that pumps blood through the body of a vertebrate animal by contracting and relaxing. In humans and other mammals, it has four chambers, consisting of two atria and two ventricles. The right side of the heart collects blood with low oxygen levels from the veins and pumps it to the lungs. The left side receives blood with high oxygen levels from the lungs and pumps it into the aorta, which carries it to the arteries of the body. The heart in other vertebrates functions similarly but often has fewer chambers.
A similar but simpler organ in invertebrate animals.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for heart
The hollow muscular organ that is the center of the circulatory system. The heart pumps blood throughout the intricate system of blood vessels in the body.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with heart
In addition to the idioms beginning with heart
- heart and soul
- heart goes out to, one's
- heart in it, have one's
- heart in one's mouth, have one's
- heart in the right place, have one's
- heart is set on
- heart misses a beat, one's
- heart not in it
- heart of gold
- heart of stone
- heart of the matter
- heart on one's sleeve
- heart sinks, one's
- heart stands still
- heart to heart
also see:
- absence makes the heart grow fonder
- after one's own heart
- at heart
- break someone's heart
- by heart
- change of heart
- cold hands, warm heart
- cross my heart
- cry one's eyes (heart) out
- cut to the quick (heart)
- do one (one's heart) good
- eat one's heart out
- find it in one's heart
- from the bottom of one's heart
- get to the heart of
- give someone heart failure
- half a heart
- harden one's heart
- have a heart
- have no heart for
- heavy heart
- in one's heart of hearts
- lose heart
- lose one's heart to
- near to one's heart
- not have the heart to
- open one's heart
- pour out one's heart
- set one's heart on
- sick at heart
- steal someone's heart
- steel one's heart against
- take heart
- take to heart
- to one's heart's content
- warm heart
- warm the cockles of one's heart
- wear one's heart on one's sleeve
- with all one's heart
- young at heart
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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