heart

noun

\ˈhärt

Definition of heart

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : a hollow muscular organ of vertebrate animals that by its rhythmic contraction acts as a force pump maintaining the circulation of the blood could feel her heart pounding

b : a structure in an invertebrate animal functionally analogous to the vertebrate heart

c : breast, bosom placed his hand on his heart

d : something resembling a heart in shape specifically : a stylized representation of a heart a card decorated with hearts and flowers

2a : a playing card marked with a stylized figure of a red heart

b hearts plural : the suit comprising cards marked with hearts the five of hearts

c hearts plural in form but singular or plural in construction : a game in which the object is to avoid taking tricks (see trick entry 1 sense 4) containing hearts

3a : personality, disposition a cold heart

b obsolete : intellect

4 : the emotional or moral nature as distinguished from the intellectual nature: such as

a : generous disposition : compassion a leader with heart

b : love, affection won her heart

c : courage or enthusiasm especially when maintained during a diffiicult situation never lost heart

5 : one's innermost character, feelings, or inclinations knew it in his heart a man after my own heart

6a : the central or innermost part : center a cabin in the heart of the forest

b : the essential or most vital part of something the heart of the city get to the heart of the matter

c : the younger central compact part of a leafy rosette (such as a head of lettuce or stalk of celery)

at heart

: in essence : basically, essentially a romantic at heart

by heart

: by rote or from memory knows the poem by heart

to heart

: with deep concern took the criticism to heart

heart

verb

hearted; hearting; hearts

Definition of heart (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1 informal

a : love entry 2 Jane hearts John. I loathe beer. But I heart beer commercials …— Rochell D. Thomas

b : to like (see like entry 1 sense 4) an online post, comment, etc., especially by clicking or tapping a heart-shaped symbol The tweet still hits home so much, not just for us, but for the 2.6 million that hearted her tweet too. — The Edge (Auckland, New Zealand)

2 archaic : hearten

3 archaic : to fix in the heart

Heart

geographical name

\ˈhärt

Definition of Heart (Entry 3 of 3)

river in southwestern North Dakota flowing 200 miles (320 kilometers) east into the Missouri River opposite Bismarck

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about heart

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Examples of heart in a Sentence

Noun

I could feel my heart pounding. He has a bad heart. He put his hand on his heart. When she heard the news, her heart filled with joy. She just couldn't find it in her heart to forgive them. I felt in my heart that our relationship was never meant to be. a ruler without a heart Have a heart! Can't you see he needs help?

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

At its heart, hygge is more about creating a certain atmosphere than things, so buying lots of expensive stuff is the opposite of hygge. — Lyndsey Matthews, Country Living, "What Is Hygge? Everything You Need To Know About The Danish Lifestyle Trend," 4 Dec. 2018 At heart, Anemone is a Southern California brand that pays homage to the surf and sand where both of the designers grew up. — Brooke Bobb, Vogue, "Anemone is a New Swimwear Line Inspired by One of Kate Moss’s Minimalist Dresses From the ’90s," 26 Nov. 2018 Photo: nacho doce/Reuters At its heart, this is a century-old local fight. — Joshua Robinson, WSJ, "The Last Outpost of Pure Soccer Mayhem," 23 Nov. 2018 The very back of the book, though, is where to find the all-prose, free-form recipe at its heart: It’s-Been-a-Long-Damn-Day-Wine-from-Your-Glass Pan Sauce. — Bethany Jean Clement, The Seattle Times, "How one game-changing recipe can make you a better cook: Susan Volland’s ‘Searing Inspiration’," 21 Nov. 2018 An added bonus for guests is its location: Richmond, Massachusetts, in the heart of the Berkshires, is a short distance from music venue Tanglewood and within a reasonable drive from the new art center MASS MoCa in North Adams. — Robert Khederian, Curbed, "How a fashion designer transformed an 18th-century home into a dreamy inn," 21 Nov. 2018 Ginger believed that her mother was the only person who always had her best interests at heart. — Karina Longworth, Town & Country, "Howard Hughes's Affair with Actress Ginger Rogers Was Far From a Storybook Romance," 13 Nov. 2018 Then-manager Arsène Wenger had long picked up his cardigans at Lanvin, so the partnership was from the heart and a fine way to promote Ossendrijver’s total menswear to a global audience of tens of millions. — Luke Leitch, Vogue, "He Put the Man in Lanvin: Saluting Lucas Ossendrijver’s Tenure at the French Label," 15 Nov. 2018 Here, Chopra commented on a photo of Jonas and DJ Mustard with the double-heart and fire emojis. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas' Flirty Instagram Activity: A Complete History," 13 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heart.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for heart

heart

noun

English Language Learners Definition of heart

: the organ in your chest that pumps blood through your veins and arteries

: the front part of your chest

: the heart thought of as the place where emotions are felt

See the full definition for heart in the English Language Learners Dictionary

heart

noun

\ˈhärt

Kids Definition of heart

1 : a hollow muscular organ of the body that expands and contracts to move blood through the arteries and veins

2 : something shaped like a heart a Valentine's heart

3 : a part near the center or deep into the interior They reached the heart of the desert.

4 : the most essential part That's the heart of the problem.

5 : human feelings Speak from your heart.

6 : courage or enthusiasm I don't have the heart to tell them what happened.

by heart

: so as to be able to repeat from memory I think I'm going to learn his new phone number by heart.— Paula Danziger, Amber Brown

heart

noun

\ˈhärt

Medical Definition of heart

1 : a hollow muscular organ of vertebrate animals that by its rhythmic contraction acts as a force pump maintaining the circulation of the blood and that in the human adult is about five inches (13 centimeters) long and three and one half inches (9 centimeters) broad, is of conical form, is placed obliquely in the chest with the broad end upward and to the right and the apex opposite the interval between the cartilages of the fifth and sixth ribs on the left side, is enclosed in a serous pericardium, and consists as in other mammals and in birds of four chambers divided into an upper pair of rather thin-walled atria which receive blood from the veins and a lower pair of thick-walled ventricles into which the blood is forced and which in turn pump it into the arteries

2 : a structure in an invertebrate animal functionally analogous to the vertebrate heart