sweetheart

play

noun sweet·heart \ˈswēt-ˌhärt\

Definition of sweetheart

1 : darling
2 : one who is loved
3 : a generally likable person
4 : a remarkable one of its kind

See sweetheart defined for English-language learners

See sweetheart defined for kids

Examples of sweetheart in a Sentence

Be a sweetheart and help your grandmother.
She is such a little sweetheart.

Recent Examples of sweetheart from the Web

Americans are outraged by the last-minute, closed-door, sweetheart deals that were made to gain the slimmest margin for passage of a bill that’s about their health care.

— glenn kessler, Washington Post, "Mitch McConnell on the health-care legislative process, 2010 vs. 2017", 19 June 2017
The sweetheart of the Givenchy archive, however, was Audrey Hepburn.

— sarah moroz, The Cut, "Hubert de Givenchy Discusses His New Museum Retrospective", 18 June 2017
John and Diane grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and were high school sweethearts.

— reader submitted, Indianapolis Star, "Anniversaries: John Hawk & Diane Hawk", 18 June 2017
The 1967 case focused on 17-year-old Mildred Jeter, who was black, and her childhood sweetheart, 23-year-old Richard Loving, who was white.

— tatiana sanchez, The Mercury News, "‘Loving Day’ marks 1967 SCOTUS ruling legalizing interracial marriage", 10 June 2017
Written in dialect, the poem follows the drama of a black church spelling bee, complete with flirting, finery, and a narrator who throws the contest so his sweetheart can win.

— cgreend, Longreads, "The Word Is ‘Nemesis’: The Fight to Integrate the National Spelling Bee", 5 June 2017
Sip specialty cocktails prepared poolside while DJs spin from noon till 5 p.m. If the mood is right, grab a sweetheart and rent a semi-private cabana with comfy couches perfect for canoodling.

— michael benninger, Pacific San Diego Magazine, "Splash down: San Diego’s hottest pool parties", 1 June 2017
When Cubs star Kris Bryant tied the knot in Las Vegas with his high school sweetheart, Jessica Delp, on Jan. 7, the happy couple and Bryant's teammates announced the news on social media with a round of exuberant photos.

— cindy dampier, chicagotribune.com, "Front row seats at Kris Bryant's Vegas wedding", 31 May 2017
The dress: Jessie’s sweetheart strapless gown with a mermaid silhouette was purchased at Bride, 1800 Wyandotte St. No. 100 in the Crossroads Arts District.

— caitlin wallace, photos by alec vanderboom,, kansascity, "KC wedding is ‘a hell of a party’ in which the Bustamantes ‘happened to get married’", 30 May 2017

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

First Known Use of sweetheart

14th century

sweetheart

adjective sweet·heart

Definition of sweetheart

: of or relating to an agreement between an employer and a labor union official arranged privately for their benefit usually at the expense of the workers a sweetheart contract; broadly : arranged in private for the benefit of a few at the expense of many a sweetheart deal