pacemaker

American  

[peys-mey-ker] / ˈpeɪsˌmeɪ kər /

noun

pacemakers plural

1. pacesetter.

2. Medicine/Medical. an electronic device implanted beneath the skin for providing a normal heartbeat by electrical stimulation of the heart muscle, used in certain heart conditions.

3. Anatomy, Physiology. any specialized tissue that governs a rhythmic or cyclic biological activity, as the sinoatrial node of the heart that controls heartbeat.

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pacemaker British  

/ ˈpeɪsˌmeɪkə /

noun

1. a person, horse, vehicle, etc, used in a race or speed trial to set the pace

2. a person, an organization, etc, regarded as being the leader in a particular field of activity

3. Also called: cardiac pacemaker.  a small area of specialized tissue within the wall of the right atrium of the heart whose spontaneous electrical activity initiates and controls the beat of the heart

4. Also called: artificial pacemaker.  an electronic device for use in certain cases of heart disease to assume the functions of the natural cardiac pacemaker

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pacemaker Scientific  

/ pās′mā′kər /

1. Any of several usually miniaturized and surgically implanted electronic devices used to stimulate or regulate contractions of the heart muscle. Electrodes attached to the heart muscle conduct electrical signals generated from the pacemaker, which either provides constant electrical stimuli to regularize the heartbeat (fixed-rate pacemakers) or provides a stimulus only when electrical activity within the heart is abnormal (demand pacemakers). Pacemakers are used in the treatment of various arrhythmias.

2. A part of the body, such as the specialized mass of cardiac muscle fibers of the sinoatrial node, that sets the pace or rhythm of physiological activity.

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pacemaker Cultural  

1. A group of specialized muscle fibers in the heart that send out impulses to regulate the heartbeat. If the heart's built-in pacemaker does not function properly, an artificial pacemaker may be necessary — a small electrical device that also regulates the heartbeat by sending out impulses. An artificial pacemaker may be placed inside the body surgically or may be worn outside.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pacemaking
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pacemakers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pacemaker

First recorded in 1880–85; pace ¹ + maker

Explanation

A pacemaker is a medical device that controls a person's heartbeat. A patient only has a pacemaker implanted when his own heart isn't working well on its own. The human heart has a natural pacemaker that makes it beat at an appropriate rate to keep blood flowing throughout the body. Sometimes it doesn't work right, because of some kind of blockage or other problem that causes the heart to beat too slowly. In these cases, cardiologists — or heart doctors — will often surgically implant an electronic pacemaker as a replacement. Pacemaker research began in 1899, but it wasn't until 1958 that the first patients received these lifesaving devices.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pacemaker pacemakers

The other main type is connected directly to the heart and, like a pacemaker, also sends regular electrical signals if the heart is beating too slowly.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

Eleven U.S. innovations, such as cornflakes, the implantable pacemaker and the microwave, were born from accidental discoveries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026

BlueFly can detect medical devices like Guthrie’s pacemaker.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026

Guthrie’s pacemaker app showed a disconnect from her phone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

In medicine, a new generation of pacemaker could regulate a person’s heartbeat for decades, rather than needing to be replaced every two years.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

While thousands of people in Northern Ireland are fitted with standard pacemakers, CRT devices are less common.

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

She has written Page One WSJ features on nuclear pacemakers, a damaged model of the Queen Mary ocean liner and abandoned Redbox movie vending machines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026

It’s hundreds, thousands, and sometimes more than 100,000 people suing over life-changing physical harm from asbestos-laced baby powder, from NFL concussions, from pacemakers, hip implants, and other medical products.

From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2026

These include knee and hip replacements, robotic surgery, and pacemakers.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2025

You might easily pick out these pacemakers, for they worked under the eye of the bosses, and they worked like men possessed.

From The Jungle by Sinclair, Upton

Related Words

• favorite
• shoo-in