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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
However, the legendary filmmaker died from a heart attack six months before the movie was released at the age of 70. Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025 The Uncle Buck and Planes, Trains & Automobiles star died of a heart attack at age 43 in 1994. Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025 Those byproducts embed in your artery walls, promote plaque buildup, and raise your risk of hypertension, stroke, and heart attacks. Dr. Sanjay Bhojraj, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025 Yungblud – real name Dominic Harrison – also sang the 1972 hit at Ozzy’s final show at Villa Park, Birmingham on July 5 at the all-star Back to the Beginning tribute show; Osbourne died of a heart attack a fortnight later (July 22), aged 76. Thomas Smith, Billboard, 8 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heart attack

Word History

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heart attack was in 1836

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heart attack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heart%20attack. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

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

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