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

The analysis also showed that people who reversed prediabetes had a 42% lower risk of heart attack, stroke, and other major cardiovascular events.

From Science Daily • Jun. 14, 2026

At the hospital outside General Santos, Lourdes Camia said she believed her brother-in-law, who was being treated for a heart attack, was safer outside -- despite the heat.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

A cardiac arrest, which is different from a heart attack, can happen for a number of different reasons.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

Bill Heym, who is in the Novartis trial, didn’t find out that he had high levels of the particle until he suffered a heart attack.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

Jacob Golos was dead, of a heart attack.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Related Words

• cardiovascular disease
• congestive heart failure