heart failure
Americannoun
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a condition in which the heart fatally ceases to function.
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Also called congestive heart failure. a condition in which the heart fails to pump adequate amounts of blood to the tissues, resulting in accumulation of blood returning to the heart from the veins, and often accompanied by distension of the ventricles, edema, and shortness of breath.
noun
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a condition in which the heart is unable to pump an adequate amount of blood to the tissues, usually resulting in breathlessness, swollen ankles, etc
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sudden and permanent cessation of the heartbeat, resulting in death
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An acute or chronic inability of the heart to maintain adequate blood circulation to the peripheral tissues and the lungs, usually characterized by fatigue, edema, and shortness of breath. Heart failure has many causes, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, and cardiomyopathy.
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Also called congestive heart failure
Etymology
Origin of heart failure
First recorded in 1890–95
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.
David died of heart failure in Italy, the country he made his home.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
The request was for retatrutide, and it stated that the patient experienced obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension—essentially high blood pressure in the lungs, which is no joke and can lead to heart failure.
From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026
For instance, Yale researchers have developed an AI tool that reads electrocardiograms to identify asymptomatic people at risk of heart failure long before their symptoms appear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
The study found that reversing prediabetes by normalizing blood glucose levels was associated with more than a 50% reduction in the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease or being hospitalized for heart failure.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 14, 2026
Patti explained that Gil had died two weeks ago of heart failure.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
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.
