noun
heartbeat
HAHT-beet
noun
1
A single pulse of the heart, or the steady rhythm of the heart pumping.
"The nurse checked the baby's heartbeat with a small handheld monitor."
"You could hear his heartbeat quicken as he waited for the results."
2
A very brief moment in time.
"In a heartbeat, the whole plan fell apart."
3
A repeating signal sent by a computer system to show it is still running properly.
"The server sends a heartbeat every ten seconds so the monitoring tool knows it hasn't crashed."
How to Use Heartbeat
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe pulse of the heart — or, by extension, a regular signal that shows something is still alive and working.
Common pairings
a steady heartbeat
in a heartbeat
heartbeat monitor
heartbeat signal
Word Forms
heartbeats plural
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “heartbeat”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The nurse checked the baby's _____ with a small handheld monitor.
Etymology
A straightforward compound of "heart" and "beat" — used literally for centuries before being borrowed by computing for its "signal of life" idea.