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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.

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

My heartbeat echoes in my eardrums, and my throat has gone bone dry.

From Literature

We pound the four blocks in a heartbeat.

From Literature

On Wednesday, the judge found that Kwon had been informed by medical staff that her baby was healthy, and she had also heard its heartbeat via ultrasound.

From BBC

A small thrill shot through me, and for an entire heartbeat, I thought about offering to let him borrow this copy.

From Literature

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.