sweetheart
Americannoun
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either of a pair of lovers in relation to the other.
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(sometimes initial capital letter) an affectionate or familiar term of address.
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a beloved person.
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Informal. a generous, friendly person.
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Informal. anything that arouses loyal affection.
My old car was a real sweetheart.
noun
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a person loved by another
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informal a lovable, generous, or obliging person
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a term of endearment for a beloved or lovable person
adjective
Etymology
Origin of sweetheart
First recorded in 1250–1300, sweetheart is from Middle English swete herte. See sweet, heart
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.
Williams eventually married Ruick, his high school sweetheart and mother of his three children.
From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026
The example is from Ozu’s 1929 “Days of Youth,” in which a suitor gets paint on his hand, knows it, and gets panicky trying to hide it from his would-be sweetheart.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
He had two sons from his first marriage to his high school sweetheart Dianne Holechek, which lasted 30 years, and a son and a daughter with his second wife Gena O'Kelley.
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026
George calls me sweetheart, shows concern for how I'm feeling and thinks he knows what "makes me tick", but he's not my boyfriend - he's my AI companion.
From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026
When he whispers in my ear, "Nice job, sweetheart," it doesn't sound sarcastic.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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.
