heartstring

noun

heart·string | \ ˈhärt-ˌstriŋ

Definition of heartstring

1 obsolete : a nerve once believed to sustain the heart

2 : the deepest emotions or affections —usually used in plural That movie really pulls at your heartstrings.

Heartstring Has a Medical History Example Sentences Learn More about heartstring

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Heartstring Has a Medical History

Before a song or movie or heart-shaped card accompanied by a box of chocolates 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 the term "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 cords like tendons and ligaments.

Examples of heartstring in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As conventionally unconvincing as the enterprise has to be, the movie tries to tug at the heartstrings with its suggestion that in these old men Dax has found a new family. — Jay Longino, New York Times, "Review: In ‘Uncle Drew,’ N.B.A. Stars Keep Dunking With Age," 28 June 2018 There is already a lot of charitable marketing that tugs on your heartstrings. — Sean Illing, Vox, "How to do good better," 14 Dec. 2018 Getty Images Because 2018 isn't quite done pulling at your heartstrings just yet, Kristen Stewart and her longtime girlfriend, Stella Maxwell, have apparently broken up. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Who Is Sara Dinkin? Everything You Need to Know About Kristen Stewart's New Girlfriend," 26 Dec. 2018 But beyond that, the plot of each episode will reel audiences in and tug at their heartstrings. — Gabe Bergado, Teen Vogue, "BBC Earth's "Dynasties" Is a Captivating Look Into the Animal Kingdom," 9 Nov. 2018 Securities brokers such as Frank Lorenzo obviously do not tug at the judicial heartstrings. — Brent Kendall, WSJ, "Supreme Court to Rule on Kavanaugh Appeals Court SEC Case," 2 Dec. 2018 Olivia Wilde and Oscar Isaac star in Fogelman’s latest movie Life Itself — a multigenerational story that is sure to tug on the heartstrings. — Ale Russian, PEOPLE.com, "This Is Us Creator Brings More Tears in New Movie Life Itself with Olivia Wilde and Oscar Isaac," 10 July 2018 Delahunty agreed, saying once the adrenaline subsides from a rescue, the reality of fellow Carolinians’ condition really tugs on his heartstrings. — Emilie Ikeda, Fox News, "Florence hits home for Coast Guard members from North Carolina," 18 Sep. 2018 The most viral tweets are the ones that tug on our heartstrings. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "False news stories travel faster and farther on Twitter than the truth," 19 Mar. 2018

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