Meaning & use
after my own heart
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiominformalapproving
Used of a person whose tastes, opinions or habits are very similar to your own, so that you feel an instant liking for them.
Grammar: Follows a noun phrase: a cook after my own heart. The pronoun matches the person.
Patterns
- a man after my own heart
- a woman after my own heart
- someone after your own heart
You brought snacks to the meeting? A woman after my own heart!
Our new neighbor loves gardening, so he is a man after my own heart.
She likes a tidy desk, which makes her a colleague after my own heart.
Common combinations
- a man after my own heart
- You like early mornings too? A man after my own heart.
- a woman after my own heart
- She loves old maps, a woman after my own heart.
- a cook after my own heart
- He is a cook after my own heart, generous with butter.
- after his own heart
- The coach found a player after his own heart.
Synonyms and how they differ
- kindred spirit
- A kindred spirit is a person who shares your outlook, but the phrase is a noun and is less playful.
- like-minded
- Like-minded is a neutral adjective describing shared views, without the instant warmth of after my own heart.
- soulmate
- A soulmate implies a deep bond, often romantic, while after my own heart usually reacts to a small shared taste.
Word family
Commonly confused: after my own heart or after my heart?
after my own heart vs after my heart
The full idiom needs own: after my own heart. Dropping own makes it sound wrong.
Practice
You eat dessert first as well? You are clearly a person ______.
Choose one answer.
The fixed idiom is after my own heart. The other prepositions do not form a recognized expression.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “after my own heart”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.