heartbeat

noun

heart·​beat ˈhärt-ˌbēt 

1

: one complete pulsation of the heart

2

: the vital center or driving impulse

3

: a brief space of time : flash

—used chiefly in the phrase in a heartbeat

Synonyms

• beat
• eyeblink
• flash
• instant
• jiff
• jiffy
• minute
• moment
• nanosecond
• New York minute
• second
• shake
• split second
• trice
• twinkle
• twinkling
• wink

Examples of heartbeat in a Sentence

The patient had a rapid heartbeat.

I'd accept a job offer from that company in a heartbeat.

Recent Examples on the Web

Vicky Barnes was the heartbeat of the diner who knew just about every customer who walked through the door. —Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Apr. 2025

America’s economic heartbeat is slowing - quietly, but measurably. —Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025

When a town relies on the health of its ocean for its economic heartbeat, an oil spill has the same impact as a meteor. —Daniel Moss, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2025

Atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, is the most common arrhythmia, characterized by an irregular and rapid heartbeat beginning in the upper chambers, or atria, of the heart. —Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing heartbeat

• heartbeat law
• in a heartbeat

Rhymes for heartbeat

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete

Kids Definition

heartbeat

noun

heart·​beat ˈhärt-ˌbēt 

: a single contracting and expanding of the heart

Medical Definition

heartbeat

noun

heart·​beat ˈhärt-ˌbēt 

: one complete pulsation of the heart