heartbeat

noun

heart·​beat ˈhärt-ˌbēt How to pronounce heartbeat (audio)
Synonyms of heartbeatnext
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 of heartbeat

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
One promising alternative is to instead harvest energy from the body itself by capturing mechanical energy generated by the contraction of muscles, such as heartbeats, or the movement of fluids. — Edd Gent, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Oct. 2026 Your heartbeat will be with my heartbeat every single day of my life. — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026 Savannah also shares a bracelet that has their three children’s heartbeats on it, along with LeBron’s initials on the clasp. — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026 Mahomes, though, is the heartbeat of a team that just a year ago was left for dead on this very field. — Sam McDowell 19, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for heartbeat

Word History

First Known Use

1821, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of heartbeat was in 1821

Phrases Containing heartbeat

Rhymes for heartbeat

See All Rhymes for heartbeat

Browse Nearby Words

heart balm
heartbeat
heartbeat law
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heartbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heartbeat. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

heartbeat

noun
heart·​beat ˈhärt-ˌbēt How to pronounce heartbeat (audio)
: a single contracting and expanding of the heart

Medical Definition

heartbeat

noun
heart·​beat ˈhärt-ˌbēt How to pronounce heartbeat (audio)
: one complete pulsation of the heart

More from Merriam-Webster on heartbeat

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about heartbeat

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All