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

Keep scrolling for more

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

There is this idea of passing the torch in the book—of getting advice from someone more experienced and really taking it to heart. — Adam Rathe, Town & Country, "Mika Brzezinski On Her New Book Earn It! and the Best Job Advice She Ever Got," 8 May 2019 In a heart-wrenching Twitter thread, AOC clapped back at Conway about the Trump administration’s response (or lack thereof) to the impact of Hurricane Maria on Puerto Rico. — Lucy Diavolo, Teen Vogue, "AOC Called Out Kellyanne Conway Over the Trump Administration's "Incompetent" Response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico," 29 Apr. 2019 All three major ISPs have already explored the idea of driving up costs that streaming competitors must pay to access ISP networks at interconnection and peering points at the heart of the internet. — Karl Bode, The Verge, "How the new AT&T could bully its way to streaming domination," 18 Dec. 2018 Our award skips the E300 (its four-cylinder is too overburdened to earn our nod) and the war-hammer AMG E63 S (too expensive for our price cap) and goes to the six-cylinder heart of the lineup. — Car and Driver, "2019 10Best Cars," 28 Nov. 2018 Needle, fans know, is the name of her sister Arya's sword; having that image close to her heart symbolizes Sansa's newfound understanding of and reconciliation with her sister. — Glamour, "The Meaning Behind Sansa Stark's Necklace on Game of Thrones," 23 Apr. 2019 This moon is at 29 degrees, which is the end of the sign, so something close to your heart is coming to fruition or reaching a natural conclusion. — Allure, "A Pink Moon Arrives on Friday — Here's What That Means for You," 18 Apr. 2019 During her relatively short time as a member of the royal family, Meghan Markle has staked her claim on a few causes close to her heart. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "6 Reasons Why Meghan Markle Will Be an Eco-Friendly Mom," 15 Apr. 2019 Although silk pillowcases in general will always have a special place in my heart, there’s one in particular that works best to keep my bed head at bay—the Slip For Beauty Sleep Pure Silk Pillowcase. — Tiffany Dodson, SELF, "Ever Since I Started Using This Silk Pillowcase, My Hair Has Never Looked Better," 12 Apr. 2019

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.

Keep scrolling for more

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