heartbeat
Americannoun
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:
A majority -- 87 percent -- of respondents reported at least one health-related impact during the sweltering week, including disrupted sleep, tiredness at work as well as dizziness, fainting and a faster heartbeat.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
“Costco seems to me to be kind of like the heartbeat of America culturally, in a way,” said Noah Rinsky.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
But research published in 2023 suggests this chemical messenger may also influence a small structure that performs a vital job during every heartbeat: the mitral valve.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
Guimaraes would be the ideal figure to help lead this rebuild for Newcastle as the club's captain, talisman and heartbeat.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
I pull another deep breath, trying to tame my galloping heartbeat.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
The study, published in Autonomic Neuroscience, uncovered a striking left-right difference that may one day improve treatment strategies for irregular heartbeats, chest pain, angina, and stress-induced 'broken-heart' syndrome.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
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
If left unchecked, dehydration can cause more serious complications, such as fainting and irregular heartbeats.
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2025
As his heartbeats returned to normal, the pain of his fever came surging back.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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.
