heartbeat

noun

heart·​beat ˈhärt-ˌbēt 

1

: one complete pulsation of the heart

2

: the vital center or driving impulse

3

: a brief space of time : flash

—used chiefly in the phrase in a heartbeat

Synonyms

• minute
• second
• moment

Examples of heartbeat in a Sentence

The patient had a rapid heartbeat.

I'd accept a job offer from that company in a heartbeat.

Recent Examples on the Web

Jansen, who has an atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat), has skipped games in Colorado at other points in his career because pitching at high altitude could be an issue for him. —Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025

Once available, the feature will use the optical heart rate sensor at the back of the Apple Watch to measure how blood vessels respond to heartbeats. —PC Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025

The Bristol Bay watershed is a migration zone and the heartbeat of escapement, the instinctual cycle of salmon creating a sustainable migration pattern. —Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025

Independent bookstores are the heartbeats of their communities. —American Booksellers Association, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing heartbeat

• heartbeat law
• in a heartbeat

Rhymes for heartbeat

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete

Kids Definition

heartbeat

noun

heart·​beat ˈhärt-ˌbēt 

: a single contracting and expanding of the heart

Medical Definition

heartbeat

noun

heart·​beat ˈhärt-ˌbēt 

: one complete pulsation of the heart