heartbreak

noun

heart·​break ˈhärt-ˌbrāk 

: crushing grief, anguish, or distress

has had more than her share of heartbreak

Synonyms of heartbreak

• sorrow
• grief
• anguish

Examples of heartbreak in a Sentence

He recently suffered a string of romantic heartbreaks.

I understand the heartbreak you must feel over your grandmother's death.

Recent Examples on the Web

But the rest have been spread around, starting with the team’s first playoff heartbreak, an opening-round overtime loss to the Sabres in their postseason debut in 1997. —Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026

Last season also ended in heartbreak for UConn, after winning the Hockey East regular season title for the second straight season, with a 3-1 loss to Northeastern in the conference semifinals. —Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2026

Would love to see Dre Greenlaw get another shot at a Super Bowl after the heartbreak and torn Achilles in Las Vegas. —Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026

Later, artists started singing about romance, booze and heartbreak. —Carolina Abbott Galvão, The Dial, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for heartbreak

• awake
• backache
• beefsteak
• betake
• cheesecake
• cupcake
• daybreak
• earthquake
• eastlake
• forsake
• handshake
• headache

Kids Definition

heartbreak

noun

heart·​break -ˌbrāk 

: crushing grief, anguish, or distress

heartbreaking

-ˌbrā-kiŋ

adjective

heartbreakingly adverb

heartbroken

-ˌbrō-kən

adjective