heartbreaker

noun

heart·​break·​er ˈhärt-ˌbrā-kər 

: one that causes heartbreak

Examples of heartbreaker in a Sentence

The team's most recent loss was a real heartbreaker.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Ravens had been a preseason favorite to appear in the Super Bowl next month in Santa Clara, California, but the team was eliminated from the playoffs after losing a heartbreaker to division rival Pittsburgh Steelers 26-24. —Jill Martin, CNN Money, 17 Jan. 2026

Paul Thomas Anderson’s political thriller came out on top with 16 mentions on the longlists, closely followed by Chloé Zhao’s Shakespearean heartbreaker Hamnet and Ryan Coogler’s slick vampire film Sinners with 14 apiece. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026

In his three starts for the Giants, Wilson threw for 831 yards with three touchdowns to three interceptions, though all of those touchdowns came in a Week 2 overtime heartbreaker for New York. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 6 Jan. 2026

Last season, Benedictine fell to Keiser (Florida) in the semis in a heartbreaker. —Kansas City Star, 13 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for heartbreaker

• blackacre
• caretaker
• clockmaker
• dressmaker
• filmmaker
• homemaker
• icebreaker
• lawmaker
• matchmaker
• pacemaker
• partaker
• peacemaker