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

The miniature pacemaker is composed of two electrodes that, when in contact with the body’s fluids, form a type of battery called a galvanic cell, which converts chemical energy into electrical energy used to stimulate the heartbeat. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2025

There’s a foot-stomping grin of a heartbeat to John’s piano riffs, too, content but happy. —Shana Naomi Krochmal, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025

In our hyperconnected world—where remote collaboration and global client engagements have become the norm—meetings are the heartbeat of strategic alignment and leadership visibility. —Bala Sathyanarayanan, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025

The result: Some doctors and hospitals have held back on treatments, waiting for the fetal heartbeat to stop or for patients to wind up in undeniable distress. —Kavitha Surana, ProPublica, 27 Mar. 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