palpitation

American  

[pal-pi-tey-shuhn] / ˌpæl pɪˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

palpitations plural

1. the act of palpitating.

2. an unusually or abnormally rapid or violent beating of the heart.

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Usage

What does palpitation mean? Palpitation is most commonly used to refer to a heart palpitation—an unusually or abnormally rapid or violent beating of the heart. Heart palpitations typically involve the heart beating hard and faster, and they may also involve an irregularity in rhythm. Palpitation can also refer to the act, process, or an instance of palpitating—pulsing, throbbing, or trembling. When your heart palpitates, it beats more quickly or in a fluttering way. Example: My doctor said my heart palpitations may be due to a combination of stress and too much caffeine.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• palpitations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of palpitation

1595–1605; < Latin palpitātiōn- (stem of palpitātiō ) a throbbing. See palpitate, -ion

Explanation

A palpitation is when your heart beats quickly and irregularly. It's also any kind of shaky, quivery motion. You know how your heart goes a mile a minute when you're excited? Then you've felt palpitations: that's when your heart beats fast and out of rhythm. Palpitations can be nothing serious or they could be signs of heart trouble. Also, a palpitation is any type of shaky motion, such as quivering or trembling. People with Parkinson's disorder have a lot of palpitations, and we all have palpitations — such as shaky hands — when we're nervous.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

palpitation palpitations

But coffee consumption can lead to an increase in another type of heart palpitation, known as premature ventricular contractions.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 22, 2023

Kwok, then a senior research investigator at the National Biomedical Research Foundation, described experiencing numbness, weakness and palpitation lasting for about two hours after eating at Chinese restaurants.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 27, 2021

And you have that moment of heart palpitation thinking, Please, Tiger, pop out.

From Golf Digest ● Aug. 19, 2019

There were his “fits” brought on by “excitements,” “flurries” leading to an “uncomfortable palpitation of the heart” and “air fatigues” that triggered his “head symptoms.”

From New York Times ● Feb. 26, 2010

So the palpitation would show up on the graph.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Oshea Orchid, a local lawyer, filed the first class-action lawsuit in 2023 against the operators of the county’s second-largest landfill, alleging the fumes were sickening her neighbors, causing headaches and heart palpitations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

“American Flag Blue” paint would fill inbound passengers to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport with patriotic palpitations as they looked outside their windows through the clean, crystal-clear water.

From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026

A child feels the same palpitations when the resort pool comes into view.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026

Ireland's scrum is causing them palpitations so there's logic to Townsend going with the same plan in Dublin.

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026

He had refused to respond to anything that happened, had not allowed the jurors to read in his face the palpitations of his heart.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson