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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.

Once in the late 1950s, while building machinery to record sounds a heart makes, he accidentally used the wrong resistor, but its electrical pulse rate was steady, like a heartbeat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

‘Kharg is not just another asset. It is Iran’s economic heartbeat.’

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

Public Health officials are also warning people to seek medical help for signs of heat stroke or heat exhaustion, such as dizziness, nausea, rapid heartbeat, confusion or passing out.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

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

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026

I feel a million of their tiny pulses in the air, and in the moment their collective heartbeat finds my own, I also feel a distinct sense of connection to them.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

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.