open-heart

adjective

ˌō-pən-ˈhärt 

: of, relating to, or performed on a heart temporarily stopped and relieved of circulatory function and surgically opened for repair of defects or damage

open-heart surgery

Examples of open-heart in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Her 15-year-old son, Liam, was born with a cardiac condition of his own and was scheduled for open-heart surgery later that week. — Matt Moret, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026

In a Texas hospital this week, doctors performed a complex, high-risk, open-heart surgery on a 6-day-old boy born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare congenital condition that rendered part of his heart underdeveloped. — Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026

Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara features open-heart motifs set with diamonds and 19 baroque pearls beneath. — Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026

While traditional core transformation projects have been unflatteringly compared to performing open-heart surgery while the patient is running a marathon, the options available to modernizing banks are increasing in number. — Jody Bhagat, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for open-heart

• counterpart
• apart
• depart
• flowchart
• forepart
• impart
• pushcart
• rampart
• redstart
• restart
• subpart
• sweetheart

Kids Definition

open-heart

adjective

: of, relating to, or done on a heart temporarily stopped and surgically opened for repair of defects or damage

open-heart surgery

Medical Definition

open-heart

adjective

: of, relating to, or performed on a heart temporarily stopped and relieved of circulatory function and surgically opened for repair of defects or damage

open-heart surgery