heartbeat
Americannoun
-
heartbeats
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of heartbeat
Explanation
That regular thumping in your chest is your heartbeat, the relaxation and contraction of your heart's chambers that sends blood flowing through your body. You may notice your heartbeat after you've been exercising vigorously, or when something really scares you. It's the rhythmic pulse that can be heard through a stethoscope as your heart works to pump your blood. Figuratively, a heartbeat is also a brief, quick moment, as in "It was over in a heartbeat," or something vitally important, as in "She was the heartbeat of our Girl Scout troop." Heartbeat comes from the "repeated strike of a drum" sense of beat.
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:
The scans also revealed signs that the heart muscle was less able to flex normally during each heartbeat.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
County health officials urged people to be on the lookout for symptoms of heat stroke or heat exhaustion, such as dizziness, nausea, rapid heartbeat and confusion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Yet of course the pain comes harder when you realize you would do it all again in a heartbeat just to have a little more time with them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
Like the Collins hit, “My Lover” sounds like it could be a cover of something old and rare, because it’s perfectly, classically constructed, with a bass line like a heartbeat, driving it along.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
His heartbeat slowed, and the words to the Water Monster’s lullaby appeared in his mind.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
Put tiny versions into cardiac patients to regulate heartbeats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026
Symptoms including dizziness or light-headedness, fainting, noticeable heartbeats, chest pain and shortness of breath.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
Atrial fibrillation is of particular concern because it causes irregular heartbeats and erratic blood flow, raising the risk of blood clots and stroke.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2025
If left unchecked, dehydration can cause more serious complications, such as fainting and irregular heartbeats.
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2025
I wanted to hear their heartbeats, and I wanted them to hear mine.
From "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
