Idioms are evocative and heartfelt expressions that infuse conversations with emotion, using the heart as a powerful metaphor for love, courage, compassion, and vulnerability. These phrases capture the depth of human feelings, from joy and devotion to sorrow and determination, making discussions about emotions and relationships more vivid and relatable. In this extensive listicle, we’ll explore 47 idioms related to the heart, unpack their meanings, and illustrate how they can add a touch of warmth and expressiveness to conversations about feelings, relationships, or inner strength. Whether you’re describing a moment of heartfelt connection, a brave decision, or a pang of sorrow, these idioms will enrich your language and make your emotional expressions more poignant and memorable.
What is an Idiom for Heart?
Idioms for heart are figurative expressions that use the word “heart” or related imagery to describe emotions, desires, courage, or moral character, often in a poetic or metaphorical way. These phrases evoke the heart as the seat of feelings, whether it’s love, bravery, empathy, or heartbreak, making conversations about emotional experiences more engaging and profound. From having a heart of gold to wearing your heart on your sleeve, each idiom offers a unique way to express the complexities of the human spirit. Let’s dive into this comprehensive list of 47 idioms, explore their meanings, and provide examples to show how they can be used in everyday scenarios to convey the depth of emotions and inner resolve.
Idioms for Heart
1. Heart of Gold
Meaning: To be kind, generous, and caring in nature.
In a Sentence: Despite her tough exterior, she had a heart of gold, always volunteering at the shelter and helping neighbors with groceries during tough times.
2. Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve
Meaning: To openly show or express your emotions without hiding them.
In a Sentence: He wore his heart on his sleeve, visibly tearing up during the heartfelt speech at his best friend’s wedding, unable to conceal his joy.
3. Heart in Your Mouth
Meaning: To feel extremely nervous or scared, often with a pounding heart.
In a Sentence: As she stepped onto the stage for her first public speech, her heart was in her mouth, but she took a deep breath and delivered a flawless performance.
4. Heart of Stone
Meaning: To be cold, unfeeling, or lacking empathy.
In a Sentence: Despite the family’s pleas for leniency, the judge had a heart of stone, delivering a harsh sentence without a trace of compassion.
5. Have a Change of Heart
Meaning: To change one’s opinion, feelings, or decision about something.
In a Sentence: Initially opposed to the trip, she had a change of heart after hearing her friends’ excitement, eagerly packing her bags for the adventure.
6. Heart Skips a Beat
Meaning: To feel a sudden thrill, excitement, or nervousness, often romantic.
In a Sentence: When he saw her walking toward him in the elegant dress, his heart skipped a beat, overwhelmed by admiration and love.
7. Break Your Heart
Meaning: To cause deep emotional pain or sorrow, often due to betrayal or loss.
In a Sentence: Hearing that her childhood friend had moved away without saying goodbye broke her heart, leaving her feeling empty and betrayed.
8. Heart in the Right Place
Meaning: To have good intentions, even if the actions or outcomes are flawed.
In a Sentence: Though his attempt to fix the community garden was chaotic, his heart was in the right place, aiming to bring neighbors together.
9. Pour Your Heart Out
Meaning: To express your deepest emotions or secrets openly, often to someone trusted.
In a Sentence: Over coffee, she poured her heart out to her sister, sharing her fears and dreams about starting a new career in a different city.
10. Heart Goes Out To
Meaning: To feel deep sympathy or compassion for someone’s suffering.
In a Sentence: Her heart went out to the family who lost their home in the fire, prompting her to organize a fundraiser to help them rebuild.
11. Heart of the Matter
Meaning: The most important or central part of an issue or situation.
In a Sentence: After hours of debate, they finally got to the heart of the matter, realizing their disagreement stemmed from a simple misunderstanding.
12. Take Heart
Meaning: To feel encouraged or gain confidence in a difficult situation.
In a Sentence: Though the project seemed daunting, she took heart from her mentor’s advice, diving into the work with renewed determination.
13. Lose Heart
Meaning: To become discouraged or lose hope in a situation.
In a Sentence: After several rejections, he began to lose heart, but his friends’ encouragement kept him applying for his dream job.
14. Heart Set On
Meaning: To be strongly determined or emotionally attached to achieving something.
In a Sentence: She had her heart set on studying abroad, working tirelessly to earn the scholarship that would make her dream a reality.
15. Heavy Heart
Meaning: To feel deep sadness, regret, or emotional burden.
In a Sentence: With a heavy heart, he said goodbye to his childhood home, knowing it held memories he could never recreate but had to let go.
16. Heart-to-Heart
Meaning: A sincere, open, and emotional conversation between two people.
In a Sentence: After weeks of tension, they had a heart-to-heart, clearing up misunderstandings and rebuilding their trust with honest words.
17. Cross Your Heart
Meaning: To promise sincerely, often used to emphasize truthfulness.
In a Sentence: She crossed her heart, assuring her friend that she would keep the surprise party a secret until the big reveal.
18. Eat Your Heart Out
Meaning: To feel intense jealousy or longing, often used playfully to boast.
In a Sentence: As she showcased her new art studio, she jokingly told her rivals to eat their hearts out, proud of her creative space.
19. Have a Heart
Meaning: To show compassion or mercy toward someone.
In a Sentence: When the student begged for an extension, she pleaded with the teacher to have a heart, citing her overwhelming family responsibilities.
20. Heart on Fire
Meaning: To feel intense passion, enthusiasm, or love.
In a Sentence: When he spoke about his new environmental project, his heart was on fire, inspiring everyone in the room with his contagious zeal.
21. Warm the Cockles of Your Heart
Meaning: To cause feelings of happiness, comfort, or affection.
In a Sentence: Seeing her children perform in the school play warmed the cockles of her heart, filling her with pride and joy.
22. Young at Heart
Meaning: To have a youthful, playful, or optimistic spirit, regardless of age.
In a Sentence: At 70, she was young at heart, dancing at family gatherings and embracing new hobbies with childlike excitement.
23. Heart Bleeds For
Meaning: To feel deep sympathy or sorrow for someone’s plight.
In a Sentence: Her heart bled for the refugees she saw on the news, motivating her to donate supplies and volunteer at a local aid organization.
24. From the Bottom of Your Heart
Meaning: To express something with complete sincerity and genuine emotion.
In a Sentence: She thanked her mentor from the bottom of her heart, knowing their guidance had been crucial to her success in the competition.
25. Heart in Your Boots
Meaning: To feel extremely discouraged, afraid, or disheartened.
In a Sentence: As the storm worsened, his heart was in his boots, fearing the hike back to camp would be dangerous and exhausting.
26. Follow Your Heart
Meaning: To pursue what you truly desire or feel is right, guided by emotions.
In a Sentence: Torn between a stable job and her passion for art, she chose to follow her heart, enrolling in a painting program to chase her dreams.
27. Heart of a Lion
Meaning: To have great courage or bravery, especially in the face of adversity.
In a Sentence: Facing the intimidating crowd, she spoke with the heart of a lion, delivering a powerful speech that silenced her critics.
28. Steal Someone’s Heart
Meaning: To win someone’s love or affection, often romantically.
In a Sentence: With his charming smile and thoughtful gestures, he stole her heart, making her fall deeply in love during their summer together.
29. Tug at the Heartstrings
Meaning: To evoke strong feelings of sympathy, sadness, or affection.
In a Sentence: The documentary about abandoned animals tugged at her heartstrings, compelling her to adopt a rescue dog and give it a loving home.
30. Heart’s Content
Meaning: To do something as much as you want, fully satisfying your desires.
In a Sentence: At the book festival, she browsed to her heart’s content, collecting novels and meeting authors with uncontainable excitement.
31. Near and Dear to Your Heart
Meaning: Something or someone deeply cherished or emotionally significant.
In a Sentence: The community center was near and dear to her heart, having been the place where she found friendship and purpose after moving to town.
32. Open Your Heart
Meaning: To be emotionally vulnerable or receptive to love, trust, or new experiences.
In a Sentence: After years of guarding herself, she opened her heart to a new relationship, embracing the possibility of love with cautious hope.
33. Heart Sinks
Meaning: To feel sudden disappointment, dread, or sadness.
In a Sentence: Her heart sank when she heard the event was canceled, having looked forward to reconnecting with old friends after years apart.
34. Find It in Your Heart
Meaning: To muster the compassion or willingness to do something, often difficult.
In a Sentence: Though hurt by the argument, she found it in her heart to forgive her friend, valuing their long friendship over a momentary dispute.
35. Heart on the Line
Meaning: To put your emotions or reputation at risk, often for love or a cause.
In a Sentence: By confessing his feelings to her, he put his heart on the line, hoping she would reciprocate but fearing rejection.
36. Heart in Pieces
Meaning: To feel emotionally shattered or deeply hurt, often due to loss or betrayal.
In a Sentence: After the breakup, her heart was in pieces, but she slowly rebuilt her confidence with the support of her loved ones.
37. Give Your Heart
Meaning: To offer your love, loyalty, or emotional commitment to someone.
In a Sentence: He gave his heart to her completely, promising to stand by her side through every challenge life might bring their way.
38. Heart of Hearts
Meaning: In one’s deepest, most sincere feelings or beliefs.
In a Sentence: In her heart of hearts, she knew moving abroad was the right choice, even if it meant leaving her family behind for a while.
39. Heart Not in It
Meaning: To lack enthusiasm or emotional investment in something.
In a Sentence: Though she attended the meeting, her heart wasn’t in it, distracted by personal worries that dulled her usual passion for the project.
40. Heart and Soul
Meaning: To put all your effort, passion, or energy into something.
In a Sentence: She poured her heart and soul into organizing the charity event, ensuring every detail was perfect to maximize the funds raised.
41. Take to Heart
Meaning: To take something seriously or be deeply affected by it emotionally.
In a Sentence: She took her coach’s advice to heart, training harder and improving her skills to earn a spot on the competitive team.
42. Heart in Your Throat
Meaning: To feel intense fear, anxiety, or excitement, often physically palpable.
In a Sentence: As the roller coaster plummeted, her heart was in her throat, a mix of terror and thrill coursing through her as she screamed.
43. Bless Your Heart
Meaning: To express sympathy, affection, or sometimes mild condescension, depending on context.
In a Sentence: When she struggled with the recipe, her grandmother smiled and said, “Bless your heart,” offering gentle help with a warm chuckle.
44. Heart’s Desire
Meaning: Something you deeply long for or passionately want.
In a Sentence: Traveling the world was her heart’s desire, and she saved for years to embark on a journey that fulfilled her lifelong dreams.
45. Heart Aflutter
Meaning: To feel excited, nervous, or romantically stirred, often with a racing heart.
In a Sentence: When he asked her out, her heart was aflutter, a mix of nervous anticipation and joy making her blush as she accepted.
46. Heart of the Storm
Meaning: To be at the center of a difficult or emotional situation.
In a Sentence: As the family feud escalated, she found herself in the heart of the storm, mediating between relatives to restore peace.
47. True to Your Heart
Meaning: To act in accordance with your deepest feelings, beliefs, or values.
In a Sentence: She stayed true to her heart, choosing a career in social work over a lucrative job, driven by her passion for helping others.
Quizzes About The Idioms in The Article
Quiz 1: Heart of Gold
What does the idiom “Heart of gold” mean?
a) To be greedy
b) To be kind and generous
c) To be unemotional
d) To be dishonest
Quiz 2: Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve
What is the meaning of “Wear your heart on your sleeve”?
a) To hide emotions
b) To openly show emotions
c) To be indifferent
d) To avoid feelings
Quiz 3: Heart in Your Mouth
When someone has their “heart in their mouth,” what are they feeling?
a) Extremely nervous or scared
b) Very calm
c) Deeply in love
d) Physically ill
Quiz 4: Break Your Heart
What does the idiom “Break your heart” suggest?
a) To cause physical pain
b) To cause deep emotional pain
c) To inspire joy
d) To encourage bravery
Quiz 5: Heart in the Right Place
What situation is described by the idiom “Heart in the right place”?
a) Having bad intentions
b) Having good intentions
c) Being confused
d) Being selfish
Quiz 6: Pour Your Heart Out
If someone “pours their heart out,” what are they doing?
a) Hiding their feelings
b) Expressing deep emotions
c) Ignoring others
d) Acting coldly
Quiz 7: Heart Goes Out To
What does the expression “Heart goes out to” imply?
a) To feel anger
b) To feel deep sympathy
c) To feel jealousy
d) To feel boredom
Quiz 8: Heart-to-Heart
When is it appropriate to say, “Heart-to-heart”?
a) During a casual chat
b) During a sincere emotional conversation
c) During an argument
d) During a lecture
Quiz 9: Young at Heart
What is the meaning of “Young at heart”?
a) To act old and tired
b) To have a youthful spirit
c) To be physically young
d) To lack energy
Quiz 10: Follow Your Heart
When someone “follows their heart,” what are they doing?
a) Ignoring emotions
b) Pursuing their true desires
c) Acting logically
d) Avoiding decisions
Answers:
- b
- b
- a
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
Conclusion
Idioms for heart are like emotional brushstrokes, painting conversations with the vivid colors of love, courage, sorrow, and compassion. Whether you’re sharing a moment of heartfelt connection, expressing empathy, or describing a brave choice, these 47 idioms offer poetic and powerful ways to convey the depth of human emotions. By weaving these phrases into your discussions, you can make your stories about feelings and relationships more engaging, heartfelt, and universally relatable, touching the hearts of those who listen.