What is heart? How to use in English

Discover the meaning of heart in English, its pronunciation, and how to use it correctly in real-life situations. See examples and easy memorization tips.

Definition & pronunciation of heart

heartnoun

tim, trái tim

/hɑːt/

Definition & pronunciation of <strong>heart</strong>

Where does the word heart come from?

The word "heart" has a rich history dating back to ancient times. The modern English word "heart" originates from Old English "heorte," which referred to the organ itself, as well as the emotions and feelings associated with it. This dual meaning is still evident today, with people saying "I'll follow my heart" to indicate a emotional decision, while also using the term to describe the physical organ. The Old English "heorte" is derived from Proto-Germanic "*hurtiz," which itself comes from Proto-Indo-European "*kred-" (to break or burst apart). This root is thought to have referred to the physical organ's role in pumping blood and distributing oxygen throughout the body. Over time, the meaning of "heart" expanded to include emotional and symbolic connotations, making it one of the most complex and multifaceted words in the English language.

Vocabulary summary heart

typenoun

meaning(anatomy) heart

meaningthoracic

exampleto draw somebody to one's heart

meaningheart, mind, heart, soul, soul

examplea kind heart

examplea hard heart

examplea heavy heart

Example of vocabulary heartpart of body

meaning

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.
  • I could feel my heart pounding in my chest (= because of excitement, etc.).
  • to have a weak heart
  • heart disease/problems
  • to have a heart condition
meaning

the outside part of the chest where the heart is

  • She clasped the photo to her heart.

Example of vocabulary heartshape

meaning

a thing that is like a heart in shape, often red and used as a symbol of love; a symbol like a heart used to mean the verb ‘love’

  • The words ‘I love you’ were written inside a big red heart.
  • She was drawing hearts on the cover of a loose-leaf binder.

Example of vocabulary heartfeelings/emotions

meaning

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.

Example of vocabulary heart-hearted

meaning

having the type of character or personality mentioned

  • simple-hearted
  • pure-hearted
  • generous-hearted

Example of vocabulary heartimportant part

meaning

the most important part of something

  • 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.
  • the issue at the heart of modern government
  • The story, at its heart, is a simple tale of loss and rediscovery.

Example of vocabulary heartcentre

meaning

the part that is in the centre of something

  • a quiet hotel in the very heart of the city
  • an open space with a small arena at the heart
  • Manchester contains at its heart a rather extended commercial district.

Example of vocabulary heartof vegetable

meaning

the smaller leaves in the middle of a cabbage, lettuce, etc.

Example of vocabulary heartin card games

meaning

one of the four suits (= sets) in a pack of cards, with red heart symbols on them

  • the queen of hearts
  • Hearts is/are trumps.
meaning

one card from the suit called hearts

  • Who played that heart?

Idioms of vocabulary heart

absence makes the heart grow fonder
(saying)used to say that when you are away from somebody that you love, you love them even more
    at heart
    used to say what somebody is really like even though they may seem to be something different
    • He's still a socialist at heart.
    be etched on your heart/memory/mind
    if something is etched on your heart, memory, etc. you remember it because it has made a strong impression on you
      break somebody’s heart
      to make somebody feel very unhappy
      • She broke his heart when she called off the engagement.
      • It breaks my heart to see you like this.
      by heart
      using only your memory
      • I've seen the show so often I know all the songs by heart.
      • She's learnt the whole speech off by heart.
      a change of heart
      if you have a change of heart, your attitude towards 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.
      • He said he's not coming, but he might have a change of heart.
      close/dear/near to somebody’s heart
      having a lot of importance and interest for somebody
        cross my heart (and hope to die)
        (informal)used to emphasize that you are telling the truth or will do what you promise
        • I saw him do it—cross my heart.
        eat your heart out!
        (informal)used to compare two things and say that one of them is better
        • Look at him dance! Eat your heart out, Fred Astaire (= he dances even better than Fred Astaire).
        find it in your heart/yourself to do something
        (literary)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.
        from the (bottom of your) heart
        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.
        • I could tell he spoke from the heart.
        give somebody (fresh) heart
        to make somebody feel positive, especially when they thought that they had no chance of achieving something
          give your heart to somebody
          to give your love to one person
            have a heart!
            (informal)used to ask somebody to be kind and/or reasonable
            • Have a heart! I’ve nowhere else to stay!
            have a heart of gold
            to be a very kind person
              have a heart of stone
              to be a person who does not show other people sympathy
                have somebody’s interests at heart
                to want somebody to be happy and successful even though your actions may not show this
                • Although he was sometimes too strict with his children, he had their best interests at heart.
                have/hold a place in somebody's heart
                to be very dear to somebody
                • He'll always have a place in my heart.
                heart and soul
                with a lot of energy and enthusiasm
                • They threw themselves heart and soul into the project.
                my heart bleeds (for somebody)
                (ironic)used to say that you do not feel sympathy for somebody
                • ‘I have to go to Brazil on business.’ ‘My heart bleeds for you!’
                your heart goes out to somebody
                used to say that you feel a lot of sympathy for somebody
                • Our hearts go out to the families of the victims.
                somebody’s heart is in their mouth
                somebody feels nervous or frightened about something
                • My heart was in my mouth as I opened the envelope.
                somebody’s heart is in the right place
                used to say that somebody’s intentions are kind and sincere even though they sometimes do the wrong thing
                  your heart is not in something
                  used to say that you are not very interested in or enthusiastic about something
                  • Her heart isn't in her job.
                  somebody’s heart leaps
                  used to say that somebody has a sudden feeling of happiness or excitement
                  • My heart leapt at the news.
                  • Her heart leaped with joy.
                  somebody’s heart misses/skips a beat
                  used to say that somebody has a sudden feeling of fear, excitement, etc.
                  • My heart missed a beat when I saw who it was.
                  somebody’s heart sinks
                  used to say that somebody 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.
                  home is where the heart is
                  (saying)a home is where the people you love are
                    in good heart
                    (British English)happy and cheerful
                      in your heart (of hearts)
                      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.
                      • In my heart, I knew it wasn't true.
                      it does somebody’s heart good (to do something)
                      it makes somebody feel happy when they see or hear something
                      • It does my heart good to see the old place being taken care of so well.
                      let your heart rule your head
                      to act according to what you feel rather than to what you think is sensible
                        lose heart
                        to stop hoping for something or trying to do something because you no longer feel confident
                          lose your heart (to somebody/something)
                          (formal)to fall in love with somebody/something
                            a man/woman after your own heart
                            a man/woman who likes the same things or has the same opinions as you
                              not have the heart (to do something)
                              to be unable to do something because you know that it will make somebody sad or upset
                                off by heart
                                using only your memory
                                • She's learnt the whole speech off by heart.
                                • I've seen the show so often I know all the songs by heart.
                                out of the goodness of your heart
                                because of kind feelings, 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?
                                pour out/open your heart to somebody
                                to tell somebody all your problems, feelings, etc.
                                • Finally, he broke down in tears and poured out his heart to her.
                                set your heart on something | have your heart set on something
                                to want something very much
                                • They’ve set their heart on a house in the country.
                                sick at heart
                                (formal)very unhappy or disappointed
                                  sob your heart out
                                  to cry noisily for a long time because you are very sad
                                  • She flung herself at his chest and sobbed her heart out.
                                  steal somebody’s heart
                                  (literary)to make somebody fall in love with you
                                    strike fear, etc. into somebody/sb’s heart
                                    (formal)to make somebody be afraid, etc.
                                    • The sound of gunfire struck fear into the hearts of the villagers.
                                    take heart (from something)
                                    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.
                                    take something to heart
                                    to be very upset by something that somebody says or does
                                    • You shouldn’t take everything he says to heart.
                                    tear at your heart | tear your heart out
                                    (formal)to strongly affect you in an emotional way
                                      tear/rip the heart out of something
                                      to destroy the most important part or aspect of something
                                      • Closing the factory tore the heart out of the community.
                                      to your heart’s content
                                      as much as you want
                                      • a supervised play area where children can run around to their heart’s content
                                      warm the cockles (of somebody’s heart)
                                      (British English)to make somebody feel happy or sympathetic
                                      • Doesn’t that story just warm the cockles of your heart?
                                      the way to somebody’s heart
                                      the way to make somebody like or love you
                                      • The way to a man's heart is through his stomach (= by giving him good food).
                                      wear your heart on your sleeve
                                      to allow your feelings to be seen by other people
                                      • He’s not one to wear his heart on his sleeve.
                                      what the eye doesn’t see (the heart doesn’t grieve over)
                                      (saying)if a person does not know about something that they would normally think was bad, then it cannot hurt them
                                      • What does it matter if I use his flat while he’s away? What the eye doesn’t see…!
                                      win somebody’s heart
                                      to make somebody love you
                                        with all your heart/your whole heart
                                        completely
                                        • I hope with all my heart that things work out for you.
                                        • I wish you well with all my heart.
                                        young at heart
                                        thinking and behaving like a young person even when you are old
                                        • My father is 76 but he’s still young at heart.
                                        • He's over 70, but he's young at heart.

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