Link Centre Dictionary

heartbeat

heart·beat

UK/ˈhɑːtˌbiːt/ US/ˈhɑɹtˌbit/ fairly common

noun

1.

the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart

  • “he could feel the beat of her heart”
Synonyms
2.

a very short time (as the time it takes the eye blink or the heart to beat)

  • “if I had the chance I”
Synonyms
3.

an animating or vital unifying force

  • “New York is the commercial heartbeat of America”

Origin

From heart + beat.

Phrases

  • heartbeat bill
  • heartbeat law
  • in a heartbeat

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.