heart attack

noun

: an acute episode of coronary heart disease marked by the death or damage of heart muscle due to insufficient blood supply to the heart usually as a result of a coronary artery becoming blocked by a blood clot formed in response to a ruptured or torn fatty arterial deposit

Note: Symptoms of heart attack include discomfort or pain in the chest, shoulder, arm, back, neck, or jaw, shortness of breath, dizziness or lightheadedness, heartburn, nausea, excessive sweating, and extreme fatigue.

called also myocardial infarction

Examples of heart attack in a Sentence

Her chest pains turned out to be caused by a minor heart attack.

He died of a massive heart attack.

Recent Examples on the Web

My grandfathers died suddenly, probably of heart attacks. —Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024

Bob Odenkirk is sharing how the on-site medic reacted to his near-fatal heart attack in 2021. —Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024

They’ve been used for heart attack patients since the 1980s, a time when there were fewer options for detection and treatments. —John Loeppky, Verywell Health, 15 Apr. 2024

The cause was a heart attack, said his wife, Siobhan Morrissey. —Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024

People may also become dehydrated, which can force the heart to work too hard, also increasing a person’s chance of having a stroke or heart attack. —Jen Christensen, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024

Those at high risk for these conditions — as well as for stomach ulcers, heart attacks, strokes or bleeding problems — should talk with their doctors before taking ibuprofen, Haggerty said. —Melinda Wenner Moyer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2024

Country star Colt Ford is in the intensive care unit after suffering a heart attack Thursday. —Josh Feldman, NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024

Residents of the West Valley are soon to have access to more resources to prevent or mitigate sudden cardiac arrest or a heart attack, thanks to the Kyle J. Taylor Foundation. —Isha Trivedi, The Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

heart attack

noun

: a sudden severe occurrence of damage to heart muscle caused by too little blood going to the heart usually as a result of the blocking of a coronary artery (as by a bit of fatty matter)

Medical Definition

heart attack

noun

: an acute episode of coronary heart disease marked by the death or damage of heart muscle due to insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle usually as a result of a coronary artery becoming blocked by a blood clot formed in response to a ruptured or torn fatty arterial deposit

Note: Symptoms of heart attack include discomfort or pain in the chest, shoulder, arm, back, neck, or jaw, shortness of breath, dizziness or light-headedness, heartburn, nausea, excessive sweating, and extreme fatigue.

When a patient is in the throes of a heart attack, the physician's goal is restoring adequate blood flow to the starving heart muscle as swiftly as possible.

—Harvard Medical School Health Letter

It has long been known that aspirin helps prevent blood clots … and many studies have shown that the drug can reduce the incidence of heart attacks and strokes.

—Peter Aldhous, Science

called also acute myocardial infarction, myocardial infarction

compare angina pectoris, coronary insufficiency, heart failure sense 1