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Synonyms

hearth

American  
[hahrth] / hɑrθ /

noun

  1. the floor of a fireplace, usually of stone, brick, etc., often extending a short distance into a room.

  2. home; fireside.

    the joys of family and hearth.
    Synonyms:
    house, abode, household

  3. Metallurgy.

    1. the lower part of a blast furnace, cupola, etc., in which the molten metal collects and from which it is tapped out.

    2. the part of an open hearth, reverberatory furnace, etc., upon which the charge is placed and melted down or refined.

  4. a brazier or chafing dish for burning charcoal.

hearth British  
/ hɑːθ /

noun

    1. the floor of a fireplace, esp one that extends outwards into the room

    2. ( as modifier )

      hearth rug

  2. this part of a fireplace as a symbol of the home, etc

  3. the bottom part of a metallurgical furnace in which the molten metal is produced or contained

"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

Other Word Forms

  • hearthless adjective
  • multihearth noun

Etymology

Origin of hearth

First recorded before 900; Middle English herth(e), Old English he(o)rth; cognate with German Herd, Dutch haard

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.

From repeatedly whacking steel with a heavy hammer to sitting sweat-drenched by a hearth for hours, the daily grind of blademaking is also not for the faint-hearted.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

The kit will talk users through the process with voice instructions as well as checking the person's hearth rhythm to determine whether a shock is needed.

From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025

“A Child’s Christmas in Wales” aptly reflects the way that holiday images randomly flare up and recede within the bright hearth of recollection, memories made mutable by the passage of time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Television has long been referred to as the electronic hearth, but the yule log’s ubiquity in the streaming era shifts that notion into oddly literal territory.

From Salon • Dec. 18, 2025

Her eyes landed on the gloomy hearth, where the odd crutch her gran had been carving when she had taken ill still stood half-whittled.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

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.