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

She underwent a heart transplant 10 years ago, after having a heart attack aged 31 while watching her son play football.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

Over the next decade, 6% of the participants experienced either a heart attack or stroke.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026

One mother went to the ER with shortness of breath and high blood pressure, fearing she might be having a heart attack, but her tests came back normal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

She said at least one victim she knows suffered a heart attack after losing her money and has to use a wheelchair.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

A family in Baltimore claimed that their sixty-year-old father suffered a heart attack after becoming excited during the broadcast and died two weeks later.

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow

Related Words

• cardiovascular disease
• congestive heart failure