noun
heartthrob
HAHT-throb
noun
1
A very attractive, famous person, especially an actor or singer, who is widely admired romantically.
"In the 1990s he was a teen heartthrob with posters on every wall."
"The film's young heartthrob had fans screaming outside the cinema."
How to Use Heartthrob
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA celebrity so attractive that fans' hearts practically "throb" over them.
Common pairings
teen heartthrob
a Hollywood heartthrob
Word Forms
heartthrobs plural
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “heartthrob”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
In the 1990s he was a teen _____ with posters on every wall.
Etymology
From "heart" + "throb" (a pounding or racing beat) — the idea that just seeing this person makes your heart race.