heartbeat
heartbeat — noun
1. the rhythmic thumping and sound produced each time the heart pushes blood throug
the rhythmic thumping and sound produced each time the heart pushes blood through the body
The nurse placed a stethoscope on Folake's chest to check her heartbeat.
check + possessive + heartbeat — common medical collocation
After climbing three flights of stairs, Anthony felt his heartbeat pounding in his ears.
feel + possessive + heartbeat + present participle
During her check-up, the doctor told Elena that her irregular heartbeat might signal a treatable heart condition.
The doctor listened carefully to the baby's heartbeat through a small machine.
Roya noticed her heartbeat slow down as she sat quietly by the window.
文法句型
possessive + heartbeat
adjective + heartbeat
用法筆記
Countable in this sense — you can refer to one heartbeat or many. Frequently used with a possessive noun or pronoun (her heartbeat, the baby's heartbeat). The medical register often pairs it with adjectives like irregular, steady, or rapid.
常見錯誤
2. the central person, place, or activity that provides a community or group with i
the central person, place, or activity that provides a community or group with its distinctive character and energy
The old market square was the heartbeat of the town for over a hundred years.
heartbeat of + [place] — core figurative pattern
Renata's dance studio quickly became the heartbeat of the neighbourhood.
became the heartbeat of + [place]
Small local shops are often the heartbeat of a community, bringing people together.
Music has always been the heartbeat of New Orleans, shaping its festivals and nightlife.
If the library closes, this neighbourhood will lose its cultural heartbeat.
- fringe
the outer edge of a community, lacking the central role
文法句型
the heartbeat of + [place/group]
用法筆記
Almost always used with the definite article the and followed by of + a social entity (city, community, organization, movement). The possessive form (its cultural heartbeat) is less common but acceptable. Avoid using this sense for individuals in casual contexts — it carries a weighty, almost poetic tone.
常見錯誤
3. an extremely short period of time, often used to emphasise how quickly something
an extremely short period of time, often used to emphasise how quickly something happens
In a heartbeat, Sivan decided to accept the job offer in Barcelona.
in a heartbeat — fixed idiom for 'immediately'
The car skidded across the ice, and everything changed in a heartbeat.
Iker would move home in a heartbeat if he could find work there.
Jin's moment of doubt lasted only a heartbeat before she stepped onto the stage.
Nora felt the ground shake for a single heartbeat, and then everything was still.
- instant
more flexible and common in everyday speech; can stand alone without an idiom
- split second
slightly more informal; equally brief in meaning
- flash
suggests something faster than visible perception
- age
an extremely long period of time, opposite in scale
文法句型
in a heartbeat
a single heartbeat
within a heartbeat
用法筆記
Rarely used as a standalone noun meaning 'a brief time' outside of fixed phrases. The pattern 'in a heartbeat' is by far the most common and functions as an adverbial meaning 'immediately.' The standalone use (e.g., 'a single heartbeat' as a measure of time) is literary or dramatic.