- 1[countable] the organ in the chest that sends blood around the body, usually on the left in humans The patient's heart stopped beating for a few seconds. heart trouble/failure/disease to have a weak heart I could feel my heart pounding in my chest (= because of excitement etc.). see open-heart surgery
- 2[countable] (literary) the outside part of the chest where the heart is She clasped the photo to her heart.
- 3[countable] the place in a person where the feelings and emotions are thought to be, especially those connected with love She has a kind heart. Have you no heart? He returned with a heavy heart (= sad). Her novels tend to deal with affairs of the heart. The story captured the hearts and minds of a generation. see broken heart -hearted
- 4(in adjectives) having the type of character or personality mentioned cold-hearted kind-hearted important part
- 5[singular] heart (of something) the most important part of something synonym crux the heart of the matter/problem The committee's report went to the heart of the government's dilemma. The distinction between right and wrong lies at the heart of all questions of morality. center
- 6[countable, usually singular] heart (of something) the part that is in the center of something a quiet hotel in the very heart of the city of cabbage
- 7[countable] the smaller leaves in the middle of a cabbage, lettuce, etc.
- 8[countable] a thing shaped like a heart, often red and used as a symbol of love; a symbol shaped like a heart used to mean the verb “love” The words “I love you” were written inside a big red heart. (informal) I ♥ New York. in card games
- 9hearts [plural] one of the four sets of cards (called suits) in a deck of cards, with red heart symbols on them the queen of hearts Hearts are trumps.
- 10[countable] one card from the set of hearts Who played that heart? Idioms
part of body
used to say that when you are away from someone that you love, you love them even more
used to say what someone is really like even though they may seem to be something different He's still a socialist at heart.
if something is etched on your memory, you remember it because it has made a strong impression on you
to make someone feel very unhappy She broke his heart when she called off the engagement. It breaks my heart to see you like this.
using only your memory I've dialed the number so many times I know it by heart.
if you have a change of heart, your attitude toward something changes, usually making you feel more friendly, helpful, etc. Dan did not want to get married but recently he's had a change of heart.
having a lot of importance and interest for someone
used to emphasize that you are telling the truth or will do what you promise I saw him do it—cross my heart.
to feel very unhappy, especially because you want someone or something you cannot have I'm not going to mope at home, eating my heart out for some man.
to be able or willing to do something Can you find it in your heart to forgive her? He couldn't find it in himself to trust anyone again.
in a way that is sincere I beg you, from the bottom of my heart, to spare his life. It was clearly an offer that came from the heart.
to make someone feel positive, especially when they thought that they had no chance of achieving something
to give your love to one person
used to ask someone to be kind and/or reasonable Have a heart! I've nowhere else to stay!
to be a very kind person
to be a person who does not show others sympathy
to want someone to be happy and successful even though your actions may not show this
with a lot of energy and enthusiasm They threw themselves heart and soul into the project.
used to say that you do not feel sympathy for someone “I have to go to Brazil on business.” “My heart bleeds for you!”
used to say that you feel a lot of sympathy for someone Our hearts go out to the families of the victims.
someone feels nervous or frightened about something My heart was in my mouth as she opened the envelope.
used to say that someone's intentions are kind and sincere even though they sometimes do the wrong thing
used to say that you are not very interested in or enthusiastic about something
used to say that someone has a sudden feeling of happiness or excitement My heart leapt at the news.
used to say that someone suddenly feels sad or depressed about something My heart sank when I saw how much work there was left. She watched him go with a sinking heart.
used to say that someone has a sudden feeling of fear, excitement, etc. My heart skipped a beat when I saw who it was.
a home is where the people you love are
if you know something in your heart, you have a strong feeling that it is true She knew in her heart of hearts that she was making the wrong decision.
it makes someone feel happy when they see or hear something It does my heart good to see the old place being taken care of so well.
to act according to what you feel rather than to what you think is sensible
to stop hoping for something or trying to do something because you no longer feel confident
to fall in love with someone or something
a man/woman who likes the same things or has the same opinions as you
to be unable to do something because you know that it will make someone sad or upset
from feelings of kindness, without thinking about what advantage there will be for you You're not telling me he offered to lend you the money out of the goodness of his heart?
to tell someone all your problems, feelings, etc.
to want something very much They've set their heart on a house in the country.
very unhappy or disappointed
to cry noisily for a long time because you are very sad
to make someone fall in love with you
to make someone be afraid, etc.
to feel more positive about something, especially when you thought that you had no chance of achieving something The government can take heart from the latest opinion polls.
to be very upset by something that someone says or does You shouldn't take everything he says to heart.
to strongly affect you in an emotional way
to destroy the most important part or aspect of something Closing the factory tore the heart out of the community.
as much as you want a supervised play area where children can run around to their heart's content
the way to make someone like or love you The way to a man's heart is through his stomach (= by giving him good food).
to allow your feelings to be seen by other people He's not one to wear his heart on his sleeve.
to make someone love you
completely I hope with all my heart that things work out for you.
thinking and behaving like a young person even when you are old My father is 76 but he's still young at heart.
Check pronunciation: heart