heart

1 of 2

noun

ˈhärt 

plural hearts

1

a

: a hollow muscular organ of vertebrate animals that by its rhythmic contraction acts as a force pump maintaining the circulation of the blood

could feel her heart pounding

b

: a structure in an invertebrate animal functionally analogous to the vertebrate heart

c

: breast, bosom

placed his hand on his heart

d

: something resembling a heart in shape

specifically : a stylized representation of a heart

a card decorated with hearts and flowers

2

a

: a playing card marked with a stylized figure of a red heart

b

hearts plural : the suit comprising cards marked with hearts

the five of hearts

c

hearts plural in form but singular or plural in construction : a game in which the object is to avoid taking tricks (see trick entry 1 sense 4) containing hearts

3

a

: personality, disposition

has a cold heart

b

obsolete : intellect

4

: the emotional or moral nature as distinguished from the intellectual nature: such as

a

: a kind or generous disposition : compassion

a leader with heart

Can't you see he's hurt? Have a heart!

She's got a big heart. [=she's very kind and generous]

b

: love, affection

determined to win/steal/capture her heart

c

: courage or enthusiasm especially when maintained during a difficult situation

never lost heart

see also take heart

5

: one's innermost character, feelings, or inclinations

knew it in his heart

a man after my own heart

see also change of heart

6

a

: the central or innermost part : center

a cabin in the heart of the forest

b

: the essential or most vital part of something

the heart of the city

get to the heart of the matter

c

: the younger central compact part of a plant (such as a cluster of leaves or stems)

lettuce/celery hearts

see also:

at heart break one's heart by heart eat one's heart out lose one's heart set one's heart on to heart

Illustration of heart

• 1 aorta
• 2 pulmonary artery
• 3 left atrium
• 4 left ventricle
• 5 right ventricle
• 6 right atrium

heart

2 of 2

verb

hearted; hearting; hearts

transitive verb

1

informal

a

: love entry 2

Jane hearts John.

I loathe beer. But I heart beer commercials …

—Rochell D. Thomas

b

: to like (see like entry 1 sense 4) an online post, comment, etc., especially by clicking or tapping a heart-shaped symbol

The tweet still hits home so much, not just for us, but for the 2.6 million that hearted her tweet too.

—The Edge (Auckland, New Zealand)

2

archaic : hearten

3

archaic : to fix in the heart

Synonyms of heart

Noun

• kindness
• sympathy
• compassion
• feelings
• feeling

Examples of heart in a Sentence

Noun

I could feel my heart pounding.

He has a bad heart.

He put his hand on his heart.

When she heard the news, her heart filled with joy.

She just couldn't find it in her heart to forgive them.

I felt in my heart that our relationship was never meant to be.

a ruler without a heart

Have a heart! Can't you see he needs help?

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The single most difficult part of Rainbeau’s job last season was to stay up on lates with Solène, having to do both their jobs while Solène was busy having a glass of wine or breaking someone’s heart. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026

In 2006, a 45-year-old with a heart condition suffered a fatal heart attack while aboard the park's Goliath ride. — Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026

Her heart cells had been infected with parvovirus B19, the virus that more commonly causes Fifth Disease. — Raj Panjabi, Time, 13 Oct. 2026

Luckily, his heart held on long enough for doctors to rush him to an operating room and drain the fluid, saving his life. — Amiran Baduashvili, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English hert, from Old English heorte; akin to Old High German herza heart, Latin cord-, cor, Greek kardia

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing heart

• a big heart
• after one's own heart
• a heart of stone
• all heart
• at heart
• bleeding heart
• break one's heart
• break someone's heart
• by heart
• change of heart
• close/dear/near to one's heart
• close to someone's heart
• cockles of the heart
• congestive heart failure
• coronary heart disease
• cross my heart
• cross my heart and hope to die
• dance my heart out
• didn't have the heart
• do one's heart good
• eat one's heart out
• faint of heart
• find a way into/to someone's heart
• find it in one's heart
• follow one's heart
• from the bottom of one's heart
• from the heart
• gladden someone's heart
• gladden the heart
• harden one's heart
• have a big heart
• have one's heart set on (something)
• have someone's (best) interests at heart
• heart attack
• heart block
• heart disease
• heart failure
• heart-free
• heart goes out to
• heart-healthy
• heart in one's mouth
• heart is in the right place
• heart-lung machine
• heart of gold
• heart pine
• heart/pulse rate
• heart rate
• heart sank
• heart's desire
• heart skips a beat
• heart-stopper
• heart-stopping
• heart-to-heart
• heart-whole
• heart-wrenching
• heavy heart
• in/from the depths of someone's heart/soul/being
• in her heart of hearts
• in one's heart
• know one's own heart/mind
• light heart
• lose heart
• lose one's heart
• made her heart skip a beat
• matters/affairs of the heart
• melt one's heart
• melts the heart
• near and dear to her heart
• nearly gave someone a heart attack
• not for the faint of heart
• one's heart bleeds for
• one's heart is (just) not in something
• one's heart leaps
• one's heart melts
• one's heart out
• one's heart sinks
• open heart
• open one's heart
• out of the goodness of one's heart
• out of the kindness of one's heart
• poured her heart/soul
• pour one's heart/soul out
• pour out one's heart/soul
• put one's heart into
• set one's heart on
• sick at heart
• sinking heart
• someone's heart is knocking
• someone's heart sinks
• straight from the heart
• take heart
• take (something) to heart
• the heart
• to heart
• to one's heart's content
• warm someone's heart
• warm the cockles of someone's heart
• wear one's heart on one's sleeve
• win someone's heart
• win/steal/capture one's heart
• with all one's heart
• young at heart
• your heart is in your mouth

Rhymes for heart

• art
• cart
• carte
• chart
• dart
• fart
• haart
• mart
• part
• smart
• start
• tart

Kids Definition

heart

noun

ˈhärt

1

a

: a hollow muscular organ of vertebrates that expands and contracts to move blood through the arteries, veins, and capillaries

b

: a structure in an invertebrate that serves a purpose like that of the heart of a vertebrate

2

: the central or most important part

the heart of a forest

the heart of the argument

3

a

: something resembling a heart in shape

b

: a playing card marked with red simplified patterns of hearts

c

plural : a card game whose object is to avoid taking tricks with hearts

4

a

: human feelings : affection, kindness

a ruler without heart

b

: courage, spirit

take heart

5

: personality sense 2, disposition sense 3

a cold heart

hearted

-əd

adjective

Medical Definition

heart

noun

ˈhärt 

1

: a hollow muscular organ of vertebrate animals that by its rhythmic contraction acts as a force pump maintaining the circulation of the blood and that in the human adult is about five inches (13 centimeters) long and three and one half inches (9 centimeters) broad, is of conical form, is placed obliquely in the chest with the broad end upward and to the right and the apex opposite the interval between the cartilages of the fifth and sixth ribs on the left side, is enclosed in a serous pericardium, and consists as in other mammals and in birds of four chambers divided into an upper pair of rather thin-walled atria which receive blood from the veins and a lower pair of thick-walled ventricles into which the blood is forced and which in turn pump it into the arteries

2

: a structure in an invertebrate animal functionally analogous to the vertebrate heart

Geographical Definition

Heart

geographical name

ˈhärt 

river in southwestern North Dakota flowing 200 miles (320 kilometers) east into the Missouri River opposite Bismarck