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 of heartbeat

• minute
• second
• moment

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

His heart can beat rapidly or stop completely, and his chest can rise and fall in accordance with his heartbeat. —Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2026

Just to get my heartbeat (up) and get on the treadmill, do a bit of running and weights. —Kim Willis, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026

The crescendos of Tines’s operatic bass-baritone bleed through the entirety of the Geffen like thunder, concretizing the space into a heartbeat of resistance that reanimates the categorization of witness. —Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026

This mechanical heartbeat allows the material to act as a heat pump without complex machinery. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1821, 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