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

Another system uses the vehicle’s connectivity to assist drivers anticipate road hazards, and still one more monitors whether a driver is actually paying attention to the road and even monitors the driver’s heartbeat to detect his or her stress level. —Ed Garsten, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025

Independent bookstores are the heartbeats of their communities. —American Booksellers Association, USA Today, 7 June 2025

My singing voice was as constant as my heartbeat, as unique as my fingerprints, as necessary to my self-recognition as seeing my face in the mirror. —Greta Morgan june 5, Literary Hub, 5 June 2025

Magnesium is an essential mineral that helps your body function properly, from supporting muscles and nerves to keeping your heartbeat steady. —Morgan Pearson, Verywell Health, 5 June 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