as in minutes
a very small space of time
I'd accept a job offer from that company in a heartbeat
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Recent Examples of heartbeats
Diastolic blood pressure is the bottom number on a blood pressure reading, which represents the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats.
—
Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 20 Jan. 2026
The ability to continuously track a patient’s blood pressure, glucose or heartbeats can help doctors and caregivers keep them stable and avert crises.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 18 Jan. 2026
The sound design of his kick drums deserves special mention; rather than simple heartbeats or mere rhythmic anchors, his bass drums are dynamic agents, diving in pitch across their long sustain and decay.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 14 Jan. 2026
One of the main heartbeats of the defense, Dean made a midseason comeback from knee surgery.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
The new approach, called Pulse-Fi, uses an AI model to analyze heartbeats to estimate heart rate in real time from up to 10 feet away.
—Perri Thaler, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Dec. 2025
However, in humans, cardiac hypertrophy can cause serious symptoms like shortness of breath and chest pain, or in severe cases, irregular heartbeats or sudden death.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025
The Science Behind Stress Synchronization A study published in October 2024 found that the heart rate variability (the slight fluctuations between heartbeats) of a dog and its owner can mirror each other.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
Three heartbeats, one team As a competitor new to the scene, Seamans says one of the most surprising aspects for him was the powerful connection between horse, rider and skier.
—Cari Shane, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 20 Jan. 2026
The ability to continuously track a patient’s blood pressure, glucose or heartbeats can help doctors and caregivers keep them stable and avert crises.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 18 Jan. 2026
The sound design of his kick drums deserves special mention; rather than simple heartbeats or mere rhythmic anchors, his bass drums are dynamic agents, diving in pitch across their long sustain and decay.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 14 Jan. 2026
One of the main heartbeats of the defense, Dean made a midseason comeback from knee surgery.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
The new approach, called Pulse-Fi, uses an AI model to analyze heartbeats to estimate heart rate in real time from up to 10 feet away.
—Perri Thaler, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Dec. 2025
However, in humans, cardiac hypertrophy can cause serious symptoms like shortness of breath and chest pain, or in severe cases, irregular heartbeats or sudden death.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025
The Science Behind Stress Synchronization A study published in October 2024 found that the heart rate variability (the slight fluctuations between heartbeats) of a dog and its owner can mirror each other.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
Three heartbeats, one team As a competitor new to the scene, Seamans says one of the most surprising aspects for him was the powerful connection between horse, rider and skier.
—Cari Shane, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heartbeats
Noun
-
Duren had the ball and was driving toward the basket with just over seven minutes left in the third period when he was fouled by Diabate.—
Steve Reed,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The tense conversation continued for several minutes before a peculiar discrepancy popped up.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoman,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
After Donovyn Hunter's driving layup gave TCU a 79-77 lead with five seconds remaining, Masogayo took a sideline inbounds pass, drove the right side of the lane and made a short bank shot to tie the score.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
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On first and goal from the Patriots’ one-yard line with 26 seconds remaining, Wilson’s pass for Ricardo Lockette was intercepted by Patriots rookie Malcolm Butler to seal the win for New England.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
And while their steamy, sweaty dalliances are hot and heavy (albeit mostly clothed), most swoonworthy are the smaller moments, like Heathcliff gently cupping his hands to keep the rain out of Cathy’s eyes.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
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Writing is taking moments in time and recording them.—
Daisy Jones,
Vogue,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heartbeats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heartbeats. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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