These idioms add a colorful layer to our language, allowing us to express complex emotions in a few simple words.
So, let’s unravel the mysteries behind some common idioms for heart, exploring their meanings and how they’re used in everyday sentences.
What is an idiom for heart?
An idiom is a group of words whose meaning is different from the literal meanings of each individual word. Idioms often carry a deeper, metaphorical sense that conveys emotions, experiences, or situations.
| Idiom | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Cross my heart | Promise sincerely or make a serious commitment | I cross my heart; I will never reveal the surprise party details. |
| Heart of gold | Kind, generous, and compassionate nature | Despite facing difficulties, she has a heart of gold. |
| Eat your heart out | Feel intense envy or longing for someone else’s achievements | When she saw his incredible painting, she couldn’t help but eat her heart out with jealousy. |
| Heart in your mouth | Feel nervous, scared, or anxious about something | As the roller coaster climbed, my heart was in my mouth with anticipation. |
| Have a change of heart | Change one’s opinion or feelings about something | Initially, he was against the idea, but after hearing the reasons, he had a change of heart. |
| Break someone’s heart | Cause intense emotional pain or sadness | The news of her departure would undoubtedly break his heart. |
| Set your heart on | Be determined to achieve or obtain something | She set her heart on becoming a scientist from a very young age. |
| Wear your heart on your sleeve | Show one’s emotions openly | Unlike others, he wears his heart on his sleeve, expressing joy and sadness without hesitation. |
| Follow your heart | Make decisions based on personal feelings and desires | When in doubt, it’s often best to follow your heart and trust your instincts. |
| Heart skips a beat | Experience a sudden, strong emotional reaction | When he proposed, her heart skipped a beat with pure joy. |
| From the bottom of one’s heart | Express sincere and genuine feelings | She thanked him from the bottom of her heart for the thoughtful gift. |
| Cold-hearted | Lacking empathy or compassion; emotionally distant | His cold-hearted response surprised everyone in the room. |
| Warm-hearted | Kind, friendly, and compassionate | The warm-hearted reception made the newcomers feel instantly welcome. |
| Change of heart | Reversal of one’s feelings or intentions | After hearing her side of the story, he had a sudden change of heart. |
| Learn by heart | Memorize something completely | She learned the poem by heart and recited it flawlessly. |
| Lose heart | Become discouraged or disheartened | Despite the setbacks, don’t lose heart; success might be just around the corner. |
| Half-hearted | Lacking enthusiasm or commitment | His half-hearted attempt at the project resulted in mediocre outcomes. |
| Heavy heart | Feeling of great sadness or sorrow | With a heavy heart, she said goodbye to her childhood home. |
| Take to heart | Take something seriously or be deeply affected by it | Constructive criticism is meant to help you grow, so take it to heart. |
| Young at heart | Having a youthful and lively outlook on life, regardless of age | Despite being in her seventies, she remains young at heart, always ready for adventure. |
| Steal someone’s heart | Capture someone’s affection or love | His charming personality managed to steal her heart from the moment they met. |
| After one’s own heart | Sharing similar values or qualities | A love for adventure and exploration makes him after my own heart. |
| Close to one’s heart | Something deeply important or emotionally significant | Preserving the environment is a cause close to her heart. |
| With all one’s heart | Do something wholeheartedly or with complete sincerity | She apologized with all her heart, regretting the misunderstanding. |
| Open-hearted | Honest, frank, and sincere in one’s actions or expressions | His open-hearted confession brought clarity to the situation. |
| Have a heart of stone | Emotionally insensitive or unfeeling | Despite the sad news, he seemed to have a heart of stone, displaying no emotions. |
| Win someone’s heart | Gain someone’s love or affection | His kindness and humor helped him win her heart over time. |
Metaphors can describe the heart in various ways, like comparing it to a fragile, precious jewel that holds our emotions. To explore more metaphors for the heart, you can visit this link: Metaphors for Heart. Similarly, similes provide comparisons that make the heart more relatable, such as saying it’s as strong as a lion’s roar. Discover additional similes for the heart here: Similes for Heart.
Idioms for Heart
1. Cross my heart
Meaning: To promise sincerely or make a serious commitment.
In a Sentence: I cross my heart; I will never reveal the surprise party details.
2. Heart of gold
Meaning: Someone with a kind, generous, and compassionate nature.
In a Sentence: Despite facing difficulties, she has a heart of gold, always helping those in need.
3. Eat your heart out
Meaning: To feel intense envy or longing for someone else’s achievements.
In a Sentence: When she saw his incredible painting, she couldn’t help but eat her heart out with jealousy.
4. Heart in your mouth
Meaning: Feeling nervous, scared, or anxious about something.
In a Sentence: As the roller coaster climbed, my heart was in my mouth with anticipation.
5. Have a change of heart
Meaning: To change one’s opinion or feelings about something.
In a Sentence: Initially, he was against the idea, but after hearing the reasons, he had a change of heart.
6. Break someone’s heart
Meaning: To cause intense emotional pain or sadness.
In a Sentence: The news of her departure would undoubtedly break his heart.
7. Set your heart on
Meaning: To be determined to achieve or obtain something.
In a Sentence: She set her heart on becoming a scientist from a very young age.
8. Wear your heart on your sleeve
Meaning: To show one’s emotions openly.
In a Sentence: Unlike others, he wears his heart on his sleeve, expressing joy and sadness without hesitation.
9. Follow your heart
Meaning: To make decisions based on personal feelings and desires.
In a Sentence: When in doubt, it’s often best to follow your heart and trust your instincts.
10. Heart skips a beat
Meaning: To experience a sudden, strong emotional reaction, often due to surprise or excitement.
In a Sentence: When he proposed, her heart skipped a beat with pure joy.
11. From the bottom of one’s heart
Meaning: To express sincere and genuine feelings.
In a Sentence: She thanked him from the bottom of her heart for the thoughtful gift.
12. Cold-hearted
Meaning: Lacking empathy or compassion; emotionally distant.
In a Sentence: His cold-hearted response surprised everyone in the room.
13. Warm-hearted
Meaning: Kind, friendly, and compassionate.
In a Sentence: The warm-hearted reception made the newcomers feel instantly welcome.
14. Change of heart
Meaning: A reversal of one’s feelings or intentions.
In a Sentence: After hearing her side of the story, he had a sudden change of heart.
15. Learn by heart
Meaning: To memorize something completely.
In a Sentence: She learned the poem by heart and recited it flawlessly.
16. Lose heart
Meaning: To become discouraged or disheartened.
In a Sentence: Despite the setbacks, don’t lose heart; success might be just around the corner.
17. Half-hearted
Meaning: Lacking enthusiasm or commitment.
In a Sentence: His half-hearted attempt at the project resulted in mediocre outcomes.
18. Heavy heart
Meaning: A feeling of great sadness or sorrow.
In a Sentence: With a heavy heart, she said goodbye to her childhood home.
19. Take to heart
Meaning: To take something seriously or be deeply affected by it.
In a Sentence: Constructive criticism is meant to help you grow, so take it to heart.
20. Young at heart
Meaning: Having a youthful and lively outlook on life, regardless of age.
In a Sentence: Despite being in her seventies, she remains young at heart, always ready for adventure.
21. Steal someone’s heart
Meaning: To capture someone’s affection or love.
In a Sentence: His charming personality managed to steal her heart from the moment they met.
22. After one’s own heart
Meaning: Sharing similar values or qualities.
In a Sentence: A love for adventure and exploration makes him after my own heart.
23. Close to one’s heart
Meaning: Something that is deeply important or emotionally significant.
In a Sentence: Preserving the environment is a cause close to her heart.
24. With all one’s heart
Meaning: To do something wholeheartedly or with complete sincerity.
In a Sentence: She apologized with all her heart, regretting the misunderstanding.
25. Open-hearted
Meaning: Honest, frank, and sincere in one’s actions or expressions.
In a Sentence: His open-hearted confession brought clarity to the situation.
26. Have a heart of stone
Meaning: Being emotionally insensitive or unfeeling.
In a Sentence: Despite the sad news, he seemed to have a heart of stone, displaying no emotions.
27. Win someone’s heart
Meaning: To gain someone’s love or affection.
In a Sentence: His kindness and humor helped him win her heart over time.
10 Quizzes About The Idiom in The Article
Quiz 1: Cross My Heart
Question: What does the idiom “Cross my heart” mean?
- A) To boast about achievements
- B) To promise sincerely or make a serious commitment
- C) To feel intense envy
Answer: B) To promise sincerely or make a serious commitment
Quiz 2: Heart of Gold
Question: How would you describe someone with a “heart of gold”?
- A) Unkind and selfish
- B) Kind, generous, and compassionate
- C) Cold and distant
Answer: B) Kind, generous, and compassionate
Quiz 3: Eat Your Heart Out
Question: What does it mean when someone says “Eat your heart out”?
- A) To enjoy a delicious meal
- B) To feel intense envy or longing for someone else’s achievements
- C) To exercise regularly
Answer: B) To feel intense envy or longing for someone else’s achievements
Quiz 4: Set Your Heart On
Question: If someone is determined to achieve or obtain something, they are said to __.
- A) Break their heart
- B) Set their heart on
- C) Lose their heart
Answer: B) Set their heart on
Quiz 5: Heart in Your Mouth
Question: What does it mean to have your “heart in your mouth”?
- A) Feeling happy and carefree
- B) Feeling nervous, scared, or anxious about something
- C) Being deeply in love
Answer: B) Feeling nervous, scared, or anxious about something
Quiz 6: Break Someone’s Heart
Question: When you cause intense emotional pain or sadness to someone, you __.
- A) Warm their heart
- B) Break their heart
- C) Set their heart on
Answer: B) Break their heart
Quiz 7: Follow Your Heart
Question: What does the expression “Follow your heart” encourage you to do?
- A) Listen to your favorite music
- B) Make decisions based on personal feelings and desires
- C) Focus on your physical health
Answer: B) Make decisions based on personal feelings and desires
Quiz 8: Wear Your Heart On Your Sleeve
Question: If someone openly shows their emotions, they are said to __.
- A) Hide their emotions
- B) Wear their heart on their sleeve
- C) Eat their heart out
Answer: B) Wear their heart on their sleeve
Quiz 9: Change of Heart
Question: What does it mean to have a “change of heart”?
- A) A physical health improvement
- B) A reversal of one’s feelings or intentions
- C) A sudden burst of laughter
Answer: B) A reversal of one’s feelings or intentions
Quiz 10: Take to Heart
Question: When you take something seriously or are deeply affected by it, you __.
- A) Lose heart
- B) Take to heart
- C) Win someone’s heart
Answer: B) Take to heart
Conclusion
These idioms for heart bring a rich layer of emotion and expression to our everyday language. As we use these phrases, we weave a tapestry of human experiences, capturing the essence of joy, sorrow, love, and everything in between.
