sweetheart

noun

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sweet·heart | \ ˈswēt-ˌhärt

plural sweethearts

Definition of sweetheart

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a —used as a term of endearment Jin-Ho's mother said, "The binky is all gone, sweetheart," but Xiu-Mei wouldn't hush.— Anne Tyler

b —used as an informal term of address As the nurse prepared her shot, Grace sat on her mother's lap. … "This won't take two seconds," the nurse said. "My name's Nina. What's your name, sweetheart?"— Bonnie WashukChuck Tranium is the president of a talent agency, where he wears alligator shirts and calls his secretaries "sweetheart."— Lucinda Franks

2 : someone who is loved often, specifically : a romantic partner … a music studio manager who plans to wed her college sweetheart this fall. — Jennifer Oldham

3 : favorite entry 1 sense 1 It only makes sense that Vogue would choose America's sweetheart Jennifer Lawrence to grace the cover of its 125th September issue.— Andrea Park Heck, Mike Wallace isn't everybody's sweetheart either but he certainly contributes a lot to the success of 60 Minutes.— Don Merrill

4 : a generally likable person Some customers are total sweethearts. Others require a tremendous amount of hand-holding, follow-up service, and support.— Paul B. Brown especially : one who is kind and gentle Most important, she often stays a few minutes to chat. … "She's a real sweetheart," an … elderly woman tells me. "What would I do without her?" — Chris Jerome It was often through this task—which he approached with a blend of gentle, down-to-earth humor and humility—that he gained the respect and adoration of many agents. It was common to be approached at trade shows by agents saying, "Tell Matt he is such a sweetheart." — Kenneth Shapiro

5 : a remarkable one of its kind The Camaro was a sweetheart except for its Wiesmann gearbox, which had me thoroughly befuddled. — Car and Driver

— see also sweetheart deal

sweetheart

adjective

Definition of sweetheart (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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

Synonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing sweetheart Learn More About sweetheart

Examples of sweetheart in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Friends of Megan Todt, who’d grown up with the 42-year-old on Peachvale Drive in Uncasville and gone to school with the high-school sweetheart couple, were concerned, too. — Taylor Hartz, Orlando Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2022 Voit’s former colleague and childhood sweetheart, Maggie Kring (Karoline Schuch), is also called in to join the police investigation when her family comes under immediate suspicion. — Patrick Frater, Variety, 5 May 2022 An auto shop repairman and photographer, Cakebread co-founded Cakebread Cellars 50 years ago with his wife and high school sweetheart Dolores. — Jess Lander, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 May 2022 Inside, deputies and federal agents found the bodies of Todt’s high school sweetheart wife, 42-year-old Megan Todt, their children Alek, 13, Tyler, 11, and Zoe, 4, as well as the family’s dog, Breezy. — Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 28 Apr. 2022 Friends of Megan Todt, who’d grown up with the 42-year-old on Peachvale Drive in Uncasville and gone to school with the high-school sweetheart couple, were concerned, too. — Taylor Hartz, Orlando Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2022 Also known as the sweetheart plant, Hoya Kerrii is undoubtedly the most romantic succulent out there. — Lauren Smith Mcdonough, House Beautiful, 25 Apr. 2022 Friends of Megan Todt, who’d grown up with the 42-year-old on Peachvale Drive in Uncasville and gone to school with the high-school sweetheart couple, were concerned, too. — Taylor Hartz, Hartford Courant, 25 Apr. 2022 Motivating this new model is General Motors' sweetheart of a 6.2-liter pushrod V-8. — David Beard, Car and Driver, 12 Apr. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective But meanwhile, the European Commission is pressing on with its campaign against sweetheart corporate tax deals. — David Meyer, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2020 In exchange for a sweetheart deal, the company will bring tens of thousands of high-paying jobs and spend $5 billion in capital expenditures. — Alex Shephard, New Republic, 19 Jan. 2018 See More

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.