heartstring
noun
Did you know?
Heartstring Has a Medical History
Before a love song could tug at your heartstrings, the job was more likely to be accomplished by a surgeon: the word heartstring used to refer to a nerve believed to sustain the heart. You might recognize the word's second syllable in hamstring, which refers to both a group of tendons at the back of the knee and to any of three muscles at the backs of the upper legs. It's also apparent in a rare dialect term for the Achilles tendon: heel string. And in light of these terms, it's not surprising to know that string itself was at one time used independently to refer to bodily cords like tendons and ligaments.
Examples of heartstring in a Sentence
Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
News bulletins have inevitably used Roberto Vecchioni’s song Luci a San Siro (San Siro Lights) to pull at the heartstrings of Milanisti, Interisti and football fans in general.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Just be sure to approach this costume with respect rather than stereotype—when in doubt, dressing your little ones up as Carl and Ellie from Up will certainly tug at heartstrings.
—Ella Cerón, Parents, 16 Sep. 2025
Watching the video back broke the couple's heartstrings.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heartstring
Cite this Entry
“Heartstring.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heartstring. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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heartstring
noun
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