Idioms related to the heart are full of emotion, creativity, and warmth—they add color to our everyday conversations and help express our deepest feelings in a more vivid and memorable way. While the word “heart” usually makes us think of love, these idioms go far beyond romance, touching on themes of courage, kindness, honesty, and vulnerability. Whether you’re talking about falling in love, showing compassion, or just being sincere, heart idioms give your words an emotional boost and make them more relatable to others.
Learning these heart-based expressions is especially helpful for students, writers, language learners, and anyone who enjoys adding depth and emotion to how they speak or write. These idioms make it easier to describe feelings that are often hard to put into plain words, which is why they show up so often in books, songs, movies, and real-life conversations. In this list, you’ll find 48 commonly used heart idioms, their meanings, examples of how to use them in real sentences, and simple alternatives that carry a similar meaning. These expressions are useful, fun to learn, and a great way to expand your vocabulary with meaningful phrases that resonate on a human level.
Let’s open our hearts and explore some truly heartfelt language!
Idioms for Heart
1. Cross my heart
Meaning: To make a sincere promise or vow.
In a Sentence: I’ll be there on time tomorrow—cross my heart and hope to try my best.
Other Ways to Say: I swear, I promise
2. Have a big heart
Meaning: To be very kind, generous, or compassionate.
In a Sentence: She has such a big heart and always finds time to help others, no matter how busy she is.
Other Ways to Say: Be caring, Be generous
3. Eat your heart out
Meaning: To feel deep jealousy or longing.
In a Sentence: Eat your heart out—I got front-row tickets to the concert you’ve been dreaming about for months!
Other Ways to Say: Be jealous, Envy me
4. Lose heart
Meaning: To feel discouraged or give up hope.
In a Sentence: Don’t lose heart just because things got tough—every challenge is a step toward growth.
Other Ways to Say: Feel hopeless, Get discouraged
5. From the bottom of my heart
Meaning: With deep sincerity or emotion.
In a Sentence: I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for standing by me through everything.
Other Ways to Say: Truly grateful, Deeply thankful
6. Wear your heart on your sleeve
Meaning: To openly show your emotions.
In a Sentence: He always wears his heart on his sleeve, so it’s easy to tell when something’s bothering him.
Other Ways to Say: Be open about feelings, Show emotions clearly
7. Change of heart
Meaning: A sudden shift in opinion, feeling, or decision.
In a Sentence: I was going to skip the trip, but I had a change of heart and decided to go after all.
Other Ways to Say: New feeling, Different mindset
8. Heart of gold
Meaning: A very kind and generous nature.
In a Sentence: My grandfather may seem grumpy, but he’s got a heart of gold and would do anything for his family.
Other Ways to Say: Kind-hearted, Warm and caring
9. In a heartbeat
Meaning: Very quickly or without hesitation.
In a Sentence: If you needed help, I’d be there in a heartbeat without even thinking twice.
Other Ways to Say: Right away, Immediately
10. Young at heart
Meaning: Feeling or acting youthful regardless of age.
In a Sentence: Even in her seventies, my grandma is young at heart and loves dancing to pop music.
Other Ways to Say: Energetic, Fun-loving
11. Pour your heart out
Meaning: To express your deepest feelings, often emotionally.
In a Sentence: She poured her heart out in the letter, hoping he would finally understand how she felt.
Other Ways to Say: Open up, Share deep emotions
12. With all my heart
Meaning: Completely and sincerely.
In a Sentence: I believe in your dream with all my heart and will always support you.
Other Ways to Say: Fully, Truly
13. Have a heart
Meaning: To show kindness or compassion.
In a Sentence: Please have a heart and give him a chance—he’s been through so much already.
Other Ways to Say: Be kind, Show mercy
14. Take to heart
Meaning: To be deeply affected by something emotionally.
In a Sentence: She really took the criticism to heart, even though it wasn’t meant to hurt her.
Other Ways to Say: Feel deeply, Be personally affected
15. A heavy heart
Meaning: A feeling of sadness or sorrow.
In a Sentence: I left the goodbye party with a heavy heart, knowing we wouldn’t see each other for a long time.
Other Ways to Say: Feeling sad, Full of sorrow
16. Follow your heart
Meaning: To trust your emotions or instincts when making a decision.
In a Sentence: When in doubt, follow your heart—it usually knows what you truly want.
Other Ways to Say: Trust your feelings, Go with your gut
17. Open your heart
Meaning: To become emotionally vulnerable or willing to share feelings.
In a Sentence: He finally opened his heart and told her everything he’d been keeping inside.
Other Ways to Say: Be honest, Share your feelings
18. Break someone’s heart
Meaning: To cause someone deep emotional pain, usually in love.
In a Sentence: It broke his heart when she moved away without saying goodbye.
Other Ways to Say: Hurt deeply, Cause emotional pain
19. Know something by heart
Meaning: To memorize something completely and be able to recall it easily.
In a Sentence: She knows every line of her favorite movie by heart.
Other Ways to Say: Have it memorized, Recite without thinking
20. Heart skips a beat
Meaning: To feel a sudden rush of excitement or fear.
In a Sentence: My heart skipped a beat when I saw the final exam results posted.
Other Ways to Say: Get nervous, Feel surprised
21. Tug at your heartstrings
Meaning: To create strong feelings of sympathy or emotion.
In a Sentence: The video of the lost puppy really tugged at my heartstrings.
Other Ways to Say: Touch emotionally, Make you feel deeply
22. Take heart
Meaning: To find courage or hope in a difficult situation.
In a Sentence: Take heart—the results weren’t perfect, but you did better than last time.
Other Ways to Say: Be encouraged, Stay hopeful
23. Set your heart on
Meaning: To strongly desire or be determined to achieve something.
In a Sentence: He set his heart on becoming a pilot since he was a little kid.
Other Ways to Say: Dream of, Be determined
24. Have your heart in the right place
Meaning: To have good intentions, even if the outcome isn’t perfect.
In a Sentence: She might be a bit clumsy, but her heart is in the right place.
Other Ways to Say: Mean well, Try to do good
25. Heart of stone
Meaning: To be cold, unfeeling, or emotionally detached.
In a Sentence: He didn’t even blink when he heard the sad news—he must have a heart of stone.
Other Ways to Say: Be emotionless, Lack compassion
26. After my own heart
Meaning: Someone with similar interests or values as you.
In a Sentence: She loves books and rainy days—truly a person after my own heart.
Other Ways to Say: Kindred spirit, Just like me
27. To your heart’s content
Meaning: As much as you want, without any limits.
In a Sentence: On the weekend, you can sleep in to your heart’s content.
Other Ways to Say: As much as you like, Freely
28. Speak from the heart
Meaning: To say something with genuine emotion or sincerity.
In a Sentence: During her speech, she spoke from the heart and moved the entire crowd.
Other Ways to Say: Be honest, Speak with emotion
29. Close to your heart
Meaning: Something very important or meaningful to you.
In a Sentence: This charity is close to my heart because they helped my family when we needed it most.
Other Ways to Say: Personally important, Deeply meaningful
30. Know in your heart
Meaning: To feel certain about something emotionally, even without proof.
In a Sentence: I know in my heart that she’ll make the right decision.
Other Ways to Say: Feel sure, Deep down believe
31. A man/woman of heart
Meaning: Someone brave, kind, or emotionally strong.
In a Sentence: He’s a man of heart who always stands up for others, even when it’s tough.
Other Ways to Say: Brave soul, Kind-hearted person
32. Change someone’s heart
Meaning: To influence someone’s feelings or decisions.
In a Sentence: Her kindness changed his heart and helped him forgive.
Other Ways to Say: Help someone see differently, Win someone over
33. A place in your heart
Meaning: A lasting emotional connection to something or someone.
In a Sentence: No matter where life takes me, this town will always have a place in my heart.
Other Ways to Say: Hold dear, Keep in memory
34. In your heart of hearts
Meaning: In your true and deepest thoughts or feelings.
In a Sentence: In my heart of hearts, I knew that moving away was the right choice for me.
Other Ways to Say: Deep down, Truly feel
35. Faint of heart
Meaning: Easily scared or lacking courage.
In a Sentence: That horror movie isn’t for the faint of heart—it’s seriously intense!
Other Ways to Say: Easily frightened, Not brave
36. Break your own heart
Meaning: To make a choice that hurts yourself emotionally.
In a Sentence: She broke her own heart by walking away from someone she still loved.
Other Ways to Say: Hurt yourself emotionally, Make a painful choice
37. Give your heart to someone
Meaning: To fall in love or become devoted to someone.
In a Sentence: He gave his heart to her completely, trusting that she’d treasure it.
Other Ways to Say: Fall in love, Be fully committed
38. In good heart
Meaning: In a hopeful or cheerful state.
In a Sentence: Even after the loss, she remained in good heart and kept going with a smile.
Other Ways to Say: Stay cheerful, Be optimistic
39. Have a change of heart
Meaning: To rethink or change an emotional decision.
In a Sentence: I wasn’t going to forgive him, but I had a change of heart after hearing his apology.
Other Ways to Say: Rethink feelings, Decide differently
40. A heart-to-heart
Meaning: A sincere and serious conversation.
In a Sentence: We had a heart-to-heart last night and finally cleared up the misunderstanding.
Other Ways to Say: Deep talk, Honest chat
41. Follow your heart’s desire
Meaning: To pursue what you truly want, emotionally or passionately.
In a Sentence: She left her job to follow her heart’s desire of becoming a writer.
Other Ways to Say: Chase your dream, Do what you love
42. Set your heart racing
Meaning: To cause excitement, nervousness, or strong emotion.
In a Sentence: His surprise visit set my heart racing in the best way possible.
Other Ways to Say: Make you excited, Cause a thrill
43. Steal someone’s heart
Meaning: To make someone fall in love with you.
In a Sentence: With just one smile, she completely stole his heart.
Other Ways to Say: Win someone over, Capture someone’s affection
44. With a heavy heart
Meaning: Doing something while feeling deep sadness.
In a Sentence: With a heavy heart, I said goodbye to my childhood home.
Other Ways to Say: Feeling emotional, Full of sorrow
45. Take something to heart
Meaning: To be personally affected or offended by something.
In a Sentence: He took the comment to heart, even though it wasn’t meant to hurt him.
Other Ways to Say: Feel personally hurt, Be affected
46. Close your heart
Meaning: To shut out emotions or stop caring.
In a Sentence: After the breakup, she closed her heart to love for a while.
Other Ways to Say: Shut down emotionally, Be guarded
47. Be still my heart
Meaning: An expression used when feeling overwhelmed by emotion, often romantic.
In a Sentence: He looked at me and smiled—be still my heart, I nearly melted.
Other Ways to Say: Oh my goodness, I’m swooning
48. A heart full of love
Meaning: Having strong feelings of love and compassion.
In a Sentence: She walked into the room with a heart full of love and lit it up with her kindness.
Other Ways to Say: Overflowing with love, Full of warmth
Exercise to Practice
Fill in the blanks:
- He had a sudden _______ of heart and decided to join us on the trip.
- I’ll support you _______ my heart, no matter what happens.
- That story about the rescue dog really tugged at my _______.
- She took the comment to _______ and felt really hurt afterward.
- Even at 80 years old, she’s still young at _______.
- He poured his _______ out during the interview and shared his struggles.
- You need to follow your _______ and do what feels right for you.
- I know this town will always have a special place in my _______.
- She looked so stunning in her dress—_______ still my heart!
- Despite everything, he remained in good _______ and kept smiling.
- That horror movie was not for the faint of _______.
- We had a long heart-to-_______ and finally made peace.
Answers:
change, all, heartstrings, heart, heart, heart, heart, heart, Be, heart, heart, heart
Conclusion
Heart idioms are more than just phrases—they carry emotion, warmth, and human connection. Whether you’re expressing love, sadness, courage, or sincerity, these expressions help you speak in a way that resonates with others and adds a heartfelt layer to your language. They make communication more colorful, meaningful, and personal.
As you continue learning and using these idioms in daily life, you’ll find that they not only improve your language skills but also help you better connect with people emotionally. Keep them close to your heart, use them in your writing and conversations, and let them become part of your voice and story.
