Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

heart rate

American  
[hahrt reyt] / ˈhɑrt ˌreɪt /

noun

heart rates plural
  1. the number of heartbeats per minute.


heart rate Scientific  
  1. The number of heartbeats per unit of time, usually expressed as beats per minute.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of heart rate

First recorded in 1870–75

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.

See Examples For:

In the short term, caffeine may temporarily increase blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar and alertness.

From Science Daily Jul. 22, 2026

Saleh’s blood pressure was high, however, and the baby’s heart rate kept dropping.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 9, 2026

Also, your heart rate spikes, your blood pressure soars, the blood vessels in your extremities constrict to keep warm blood near your core and you begin to gasp involuntarily.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 6, 2026

“What I think I love the most about it is I just get out there and my heart rate drops about 25%,” he said.

From MarketWatch Jul. 1, 2026

With my medical sensors still attached to my chest, I could find out from the people in Houston what my heart rate was.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training