heartstrings
Americanplural noun
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of heartstrings
First recorded in 1475–85; heart + strings ( def. )
Vocabulary lists containing heartstrings
Vocabulary from poems about being an American
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"Refugee in America"
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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.
It’s a little silly and corny, yes, but manages to vary the tempo and can even tug at one’s heartstrings by showing the bond between siblings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 22, 2026
America, on the other hand, isn’t trying to pull any heartstrings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
Sometimes, it’s easier to say “no” to a request than to resist someone pulling at your heartstrings to acquiesce to their wishes.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 4, 2026
However, the black and white spaniel still happily greeted her rescuers with a wagging tail which "pulled on the heartstrings", she said.
From BBC ● Jan. 4, 2026
To get them interested you had to pull at the heartstrings.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
