50 Idioms With Heart
The heart is often used as a symbol of love, compassion, courage, and sincerity. It’s no wonder that the English language is filled with idioms and expressions that revolve around the heart. From having a heart of gold to wearing your heart on your sleeve, these idioms help us express our emotions and feelings in a unique and creative way.
In this article, we’ve compiled a list of 50 idioms with heart and their meanings to help you improve your English vocabulary.
- Have a heart – to show compassion or sympathy towards someone
Example: “Can you please have a heart and help me out with this project?” - Eat your heart out – to feel jealous or envious of someone else’s success or happiness
Example: “Look at him with his fancy car, making me eat my heart out.” - Follow your heart – to pursue what you truly desire or believe in
Example: “After years of working in finance, she decided to follow her heart and become an artist.” - Break someone’s heart – to cause someone emotional pain or distress
Example: “It broke my heart to see her cry after I told her the news.” - Cross my heart – to promise or swear to something sincerely
Example: “I cross my heart that I’ll never lie to you again.” - Pour your heart out – to confide in someone and share one’s deepest emotions or thoughts
Example: “She poured her heart out to her best friend about the struggles she’s been going through.” - From the bottom of my heart – a sincere expression of gratitude or appreciation
Example: “Thank you so much for all your help, from the bottom of my heart.” - Heart of gold – a person who is kind and generous towards others
Example: “She may not have a lot of money, but she has a heart of gold and always goes out of her way to help others.” - Cold-hearted – lacking compassion or empathy towards others
Example: “He was so cold-hearted that he didn’t even shed a tear at his own mother’s funeral.” - Lose heart – to become discouraged or disheartened
Example: “Despite several rejections, she didn’t lose heart and kept applying for jobs until she finally landed one.” - After my own heart – to share similar values or beliefs with someone
Example: “She loves reading just as much as I do. She’s after my own heart.” - Bleeding heart – a person who is excessively sympathetic or compassionate towards others
Example: “He’s such a bleeding heart that he can’t even say no to a stranger asking for money.” - Brave heart – a person who is courageous and fearless
Example: “The firefighter who rescued the children from the burning building is a true brave heart.” - Close to your heart – something that is personally important or valuable to you
Example: “Her family is close to her heart, and she always makes time to visit them.” - Cold feet – to feel anxious or hesitant about something, especially before taking action
Example: “She had cold feet before her first public speaking event, but she managed to overcome her fears.” - Cry your heart out – to cry intensely or for a long time
Example: “After her breakup, she went to her room and cried her heart out.” - Dear to your heart – something or someone that you hold in high regard or value
Example: “Her grandmother’s recipes are dear to her heart, and she treasures them dearly.” - Eat your heart out – a taunting phrase used to boast about one’s own success or happiness
Example: “I just got a promotion and a raise. Eat your heart out, haters!” - Follow your heart’s desire – to pursue what one truly wants or desires
Example: “She decided to follow her heart’s desire and quit her corporate job to travel the world.” - Half-hearted – to do something without much effort or enthusiasm
Example: “He gave a half-hearted apology, which made the situation worse.” - Have a change of heart – to change one’s mind or opinion about something
Example: “She had a change of heart about the project after hearing the opposing”
- Have a heart-to-heart – to have an honest and open conversation with someone
Example: “She had a heart-to-heart conversation with her friend about the issues in their friendship.” - Hearty laugh – a loud and genuine laugh
Example: “His joke was so funny that we all had a hearty laugh.” - Heavy-hearted – to feel sad or depressed
Example: “She was heavy-hearted after the loss of her beloved pet.” - In your heart of hearts – a feeling or belief that is deeply held and true to oneself
Example: “In her heart of hearts, she knew that she needed to make a change in her life.” - Know by heart – to have memorized something completely
Example: “I know the lyrics to that song by heart.” - Lion-hearted – a person who is brave and fearless
Example: “The soldier who saved his comrades in battle is a true lion-hearted hero.” - Lonely heart – a person who is looking for love or companionship
Example: “She signed up for a dating app to find her lonely heart a match.” - Losing heart – to feel discouraged or disheartened
Example: “After several failed attempts, he was losing heart and considering giving up.” - Open-hearted – a person who is open, honest, and generous towards others
Example: “Her open-hearted nature makes her a great friend to have.” - Pitter-patter of the heart – a fast and irregular heartbeat due to excitement or nervousness
Example: “She could feel the pitter-patter of her heart before her first performance.” - Set your heart on – to desire or want something strongly
Example: “She had set her heart on studying abroad, and worked hard to make it happen.” - Speak from the heart – to express one’s sincere and true feelings
Example: “During her speech, she spoke from the heart and touched everyone in the audience.” - Steal someone’s heart – to make someone fall in love with you
Example: “He stole her heart with his romantic gestures and charming personality.” - Straight from the heart – an expression of sincerity and honesty
Example: “Her apology was straight from the heart, and he could feel her regret.” - Take heart – to be encouraged or comforted
Example: “Despite the setback, she took heart and continued to work towards her goal.” - Tender-hearted – a person who is kind, gentle, and compassionate towards others
Example: “She’s such a tender-hearted person that she even volunteers at the animal shelter.” - Wear your heart on your sleeve – to show one’s emotions openly and without hesitation
Example: “She wears her heart on her sleeve, and everyone knows when she’s happy or sad.” - Wholeheartedly – to do something with complete sincerity and enthusiasm
Example: “She wholeheartedly supported her friend’s decision to quit her job and start her own business.” - Young at heart – to have a youthful and energetic spirit, regardless of age
Example: “Although she’s in her 70s, she’s still young at heart and loves to dance.” - Cross your heart and hope to die – a promise or oath that is meant to be taken seriously
Example: “Cross your heart and hope to die, did you really see a ghost last night?” - Follow your heart, but take your brain with you – a reminder to use logic and reason when making decisions, even when following one’s heart
Example: “She decided to follow her heart and start her own business, but took her brain with her and made a solid plan.” - Have your heart in your mouth – to be anxious or nervous about something
Example: He waited for her arrival with his heart in his mouth.
- Heart in the right place – to have good intentions
Example: “Although his actions sometimes come across as insensitive, I believe he has his heart in the right place.” - Heart of gold – a person who is kind, generous, and caring towards others
Example: “She has a heart of gold and always goes out of her way to help those in need.” - Heart of stone – a person who is cold, unfeeling, and unsympathetic towards others
Example: “He’s got a heart of stone and never shows any emotion, even in sad situations.” - Heart-to-heart – an intimate and personal conversation between two people
Example: “After the breakup, they had a heart-to-heart conversation about their relationship.” - Heartsick – to feel deeply saddened or disappointed
Example: “She was heartsick after learning about the tragedy that had occurred.” - My heart bleeds for you – an expression of sympathy and compassion towards someone who is suffering
Example: “My heart bleeds for you during this difficult time. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” - Your heart skips a beat – to feel a sudden and intense excitement or nervousness
Example: “Her heart skipped a beat when she saw her favorite celebrity walking towards her.”
These idioms with hearts are a great way to express a wide range of emotions and feelings. Whether you’re feeling heavy-hearted, speaking from the heart, or following your heart, these idioms allow us to communicate in a creative and meaningful way. By incorporating these idioms into your everyday conversations, you’ll be able to add a touch of personality and emotion to your language, and better connect with those around you.
