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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.

“If I never talk to her for 20 years, she could call me from jail, I will be there in a heartbeat.”

From Los Angeles Times

"I checked for a heartbeat and couldn't feel it," he said.

From BBC

"I didn't do this at all for any recognition so it's bittersweet because I'd give it back in a heartbeat to have my son here," Ms Roome said.

From BBC

Because he is the heartbeat of the team and a massive part of the dressing room, it would be a huge ask for someone else to take on the side with Stokes in the ranks.

From BBC

"It feels illegal," she frets, as her heartbeat races with the drumbeat of this smouldering dance-pop anthem.

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.