heart-to-heart
adjective
frank; sincere.
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heart-to-heart
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heart to heart
heart to heartCandidly, sincerely, as in We need to talk heart to heart about her coming marriage. This expression is nearly always applied to a conversation of some kind. [Mid-1900s]
heart-to-heart
American
[hahrt-tuh-hahrt]
/ ˈhɑrt təˌhɑrt /
adjective
noun
heart-to-heart
British
adjective
noun
heart to heart
Idioms
Etymology
Origin of heart-to-heart
First recorded in 1865–70
Vocabulary lists containing heart-to-heart
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.
“We watched film, had a heart-to-heart talk and a shoot around today but that’s it.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026
It was a body blow for Guardiola and he revealed heart-to-heart talks with the squad during the Club World Cup in the summer re-established their focus.
From BBC • Dec. 27, 2025
In a heart-to-heart talk with your adult child; acknowledge the pain, hardship or misunderstanding that resulted from your actions or decisions; and ask for forgiveness.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 2, 2025
“Zoe and I had a heart-to-heart and I said, ‘We can adapt,’” King said, recalling how they decided to create a decentralized model for the company that would allow her to live with her family.
From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2024
Anyway, our little heart-to-heart was at an end and I came away feeling I hadn’t done what I’d set out to do—that I’d somehow let Ruth down.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
