Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

heart block

American  

noun

Pathology.
  1. a defect in the electrical impulses of the heart resulting in any of various arrhythmias or irregularities in the heartbeat.


heart block British  

noun

  1. Also called: Adams-Stokes syndrome, atrioventricular block. impaired conduction or blocking of the impulse that regulates the heartbeat, resulting in a lack of coordination between the beating of the atria and the ventricles

"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

Etymology

Origin of heart block

First recorded in 1900–05

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:

Jen Singer is a ghostwriter and editor who has survived cancer, a complete heart block, and heart failure.

From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026

Dr Matthew Thornber, a consultant at the hospital, said the two ECGs taken were not "textbook" examples of looking like a heart block condition and such diagnosis requires nuance and experience.

From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2024

After a week of relentless media queries, doctors revealed to the public what Netanyahu, 73, had kept hidden for 20 years: a chronic, generally asymptomatic but potentially fatal conduction disorder or heart block.

From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2023

In a video statement, Dr. Eyal Nof said that the heart monitor had sounded an alert late Saturday after detecting a condition called heart block.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 24, 2023

In the second type, where there was normal auricular activity, but where the ventricular contractions were decreased, atropin affected an increase in the number of ventricular contractions, but did not completely remove the heart block.

From Disturbances of the Heart by Oliver T. (Oliver Thomas) Osborne

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com