heart

HAHRT/hɑɹt/HAHT/hɑːt/

Pluralhearts

18 meanings of heart

Practice

1
body organnouncountable
The muscle in the chest that pumps blood around the body.
Like a pump that pushes blood everywhere your body needs it.
The doctor listened to her heart with a stethoscope.
After you run hard, your heart beats much faster.
Note
2
inner feelingsnouncountable or uncountable
The part of a person seen as the source of love, feelings, and good character.
A good teacher's heart is full of patience.
Deep in his heart, he knew the truth.
UsagePeople often say with all my heart or break someone's heart.
Similarsoul, nature
Note
3
centernounfigurativelycountable or uncountable
The central or most important part of something.
Like the center of an apple, where the seeds are.
We finally reached the heart of the forest.
Honesty is at the heart of their friendship.
UsageSay in the heart of a city and at the heart of a problem.
Similarcore, essence, crux, gist, substance
Oppositeperiphery, edge
Note
4
nouncountable
A simple shape, ♥, used to stand for love or affection.
Like a smiley face, but it means love instead of happiness.
She drew a little heart next to her name.
He texted a red heart to say goodnight.
5
couragenoununcountable
The inner strength, courage, and spirit that keep someone going through hard times.
Like a fire inside that keeps you going when things get hard.
The team showed great heart in the last few minutes.
She lost heart after failing the test twice.
UsageTake heart means feel braver. Lose heart means stop hoping.
Similarcourage, bravery, nerve, spirit, guts
Oppositecowardice, timidity
Note

Less common meanings

6
playing cardnouncountable
A playing card from the suit marked with red heart shapes.
He played a heart to win the trick.
She had three hearts left in her hand.
UsageA heart is one card. Hearts is the name of the whole group of these cards.
7
like (post)verbtransitive
To mark a comment, post, or message with the heart symbol to show you like it.
Like giving a thumbs-up online, but with a heart.
I always heart my friends' vacation pictures.
Please heart this post if you agree with it.
UsageYou heart a post or photo. The past form is hearted.
Note
8
adoreverbcolloquialhumoroustransitive
To like or love someone or something very much.
Like saying "I love this!" in a playful way.
I really heart this new song.
They heart their little hometown.
UsageA joking way to say love. In serious writing, say love.
Similarlove
Oppositehate
Note
9
personnounfigurativelycountable or uncountable
A living person, often spoken of with feeling or pity.
The poor heart had walked all night through the snow.
Many a kind heart gave the orphan food and shelter.
Similarsoul
10
nouncountable or uncountable
Memory, now used only in the phrase by heart, which means from memory.
UsageSay learn it by heart.
11
soil healthnoununcountable
A strong, productive condition, especially of soil that can support healthy plant growth.
Manure kept the soil in good heart.
Years of poor farming left the land out of heart.
UsageFarmers say land is in good heart when it grows crops well.
Similarfertility, condition, vigor
Note
12
darlingnounarchaiccountable
A loving name used when speaking to someone you care about.
Come sit by me, my heart, and warm yourself.
My King, my Jove, I speak to thee, my heart!
c. 1596, William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth,. Epilogue.”Here, heart is a loving name used to speak to someone dear.
Similardarling, dear, honey, sweetheart, baby
Note
13
encourageverbobsoletetransitive
To give someone courage and make them feel braver.
Note
14
nouncountable
The pale, firm, tender middle part of some vegetables, like lettuce or celery, that people often enjoy eating.
She cut the heart out of the lettuce and added it to the salad.
We bought a jar of artichoke hearts for the pizza.
UsageOften said as artichoke hearts or lettuce hearts.
Note
15
noun
The best middle part of the liquid you collect when distilling something.
16
verb
To grow a tight ball of leaves in the middle, as lettuce or cabbage does.
17
noun
The number twenty-four card in the Lenormand fortune-telling deck.
18
verb
To fill the inside of a wall or sea wall with broken stones.

More uses

heartsthe playing-card suit marked with red hearts

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of heart apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

It comes from Old English "heorte," meaning heart. Many feeling-related meanings like love and courage are very old.