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Synonyms

heartbeat

American  
[hahrt-beet] / ˈhɑrtˌbit /

noun

Physiology.

  1. a pulsation of the heart, including one complete systole and diastole.

heartbeat British  
/ ˈhɑːtˌbiːt /

noun

  1. one complete pulsation of the heart See diastole systole

"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 heartbeat

First recorded in 1840–50; heart + 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.

Symptoms including dizziness or light-headedness, fainting, noticeable heartbeats, chest pain and shortness of breath.

From BBC

Extended weightlessness generally wreaks havoc on the human body, often disrupting the space traveler’s heartbeat, balance and hormone levels.

From The Wall Street Journal

And that decision has to be made in a heartbeat at the end of a mile-long ice chute covered at speeds exceeding 90 mph.

From Los Angeles Times

During labour, monitoring indicated that her heartbeat was abnormal, but this was not acted on.

From BBC

How could it not be when Finn Russell, utterly brilliant, is its creative heartbeat?

From BBC

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.