heartburn

noun

heart·burn | \ ˈhärt-ˌbərn

Definition of heartburn

: a burning discomfort behind the lower part of the sternum due especially to spasmodic reflux of acid from the stomach into the esophagus

Examples of heartburn in a Sentence

I like spicy food, but it gives me heartburn.

Recent Examples on the Web

At its peak, the company raked in sales of around $33 billion, but that has declined for most of the past decade as blockbusters like anti-cholesterol pill Crestor and heartburn drug Nexium faced competition from cheap, generic versions. — Denise Roland, WSJ, "AstraZeneca Turns a Corner After a Decade of Struggles," 14 Feb. 2019 The study authors said that while their findings suggested that alkaline water could have therapeutic effects for acid reflux, more systematic studies with actual heartburn patients are needed. — SELF, "What Even Is Alkaline Water and Is It Really Better Than Regular Water?," 6 Sep. 2018 In some cases, CBD can exacerbate heartburn or lead to mild allergic reactions, such as hives (though this is likely a reaction to the carrier oil added to the CBD, says Capano). — Laurel Leicht, Marie Claire, "An Expert Answers All Your Questions About CBD," 26 Mar. 2019 While certain foods trigger heartburn and nausea, the most common cause of GERD is abdominal pressure from overeating, being overweight or both, says Dr. Sheth. — Jill Provost, Woman's Day, "End Digestive Problems for Good," 21 May 2012 That happens when the stuff in your stomach comes back up into your esophagus, causing heartburn, per the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). — Korin Miller, SELF, "7 Mistakes You Make Right Before Bed That Are Ruining Your Sleep," 28 Nov. 2018 In fact, drinking apple cider vinegar on an empty stomach can be tough on your digestive system and cause heartburn. — Jaclyn London, Ms, Rd, Cdn, Good Housekeeping, "The Real Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar, According to a Nutritionist," 21 Nov. 2018 Sufferers of frequent, recurring heartburn (several times a week) should consider that Zegerid OTC is in the proton pump inhibitor (PPI) class; Pepsid and Zantac, on the other hand, are H2 antagonists. — Barbara Brody, Woman's Day, "Stop the Burn," 2 Apr. 2010 Many widely used nonprescription drugs originally were only available by prescription, including allergy treatment Claritin and heartburn remedy Prilosec. — Linda A. Johnson, The Seattle Times, "FDA plans to ease OTC approvals for some prescription drugs," 17 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heartburn.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about heartburn

Dictionary Entries near heartburn

Statistics for heartburn

Last Updated

10 May 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for heartburn

The first known use of heartburn was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for heartburn

heartburn

noun

English Language Learners Definition of heartburn

: an unpleasant hot feeling in your chest caused by something that you ate

See the full definition for heartburn in the English Language Learners Dictionary

heartburn

noun

heart·burn | \ -ˌbərn

Medical Definition of heartburn

: a burning discomfort behind the lower part of the sternum usually related to spasm of the lower end of the esophagus or of the upper part of the stomach often in association with gastroesophageal reflux

— called also cardialgia, pyrosis

— compare water brash