American English pronunciation

How to pronounce heartbeat

IPA transcription: ['hɑɹt,bit]

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Noun

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

    “if I had the chance I'd do it in a flash”

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

    “he could feel the beat of her heart”

  • an animating or vital unifying force

    “New York is the commercial heartbeat of America”

Usage examples

  • Kampman won the Hayden Fry "Extra Heartbeat" award and Iowa's Scholastic Achievement award.
  • They find an amphitheatre, its floor pulsing to a loud heartbeat.