Meaning & use
heart rhythm
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Meanings
nouncountablemedical
The regular pattern of beats made by the heart as it pumps blood.
Grammar: Countable: a heart rhythm, an irregular heart rhythm.
Patterns
- a normal heart rhythm
- an irregular heart rhythm
- restore someone's heart rhythm
The monitor showed that his heart rhythm had returned to normal.
Certain drugs can disturb the heart rhythm and cause dizziness.
Doctors used a small electric shock to correct her heart rhythm.
nouncountable
The typical speed and pattern of a person's heartbeat, especially when it changes with activity or feeling.
Grammar: Often used with adjectives like fast, slow, steady, or racing.
Patterns
- a fast heart rhythm
- a steady heart rhythm
- someone's heart rhythm changes
Her heart rhythm quickened as she climbed the last few steps.
The athlete's resting heart rhythm was unusually slow and steady.
Word forms
| plural | heart rhythms |
|---|
Common combinations
- irregular heart rhythm
- An irregular heart rhythm can be a sign of atrial fibrillation.
- normal heart rhythm
- The test confirmed that his heart rhythm was normal.
- restore a heart rhythm
- The team worked quickly to restore a normal heart rhythm.
- monitor a heart rhythm
- Doctors monitored her heart rhythm for twenty-four hours.
- heart rhythm disorder
- He was born with a rare heart rhythm disorder.
Synonyms and how they differ
- heartbeat
- More everyday and countable; it names a single beat or the general beating, while 'heart rhythm' stresses the pattern and timing.
- pulse
- The beat you can feel in an artery, not the heart's own electrical pattern; doctors check the pulse to judge the heart rhythm.
- cardiac rhythm
- A more technical synonym used in medical writing; 'heart rhythm' is understood by general readers.
Word family
- rhythmic adjective
- Having a regular repeated pattern, as in rhythmic beating.
- rhythmically adverb
- In a regular repeated way.
- arrhythmia noun
- A medical term for an irregular heart rhythm.
Commonly confused: heart rhythm or heartbeat? heart rhythm or heart rate?
heart rhythm vs heartbeat
A heartbeat is one single pump of the heart or the general beating you feel; a heart rhythm is the pattern and timing of those beats.
heart rhythm vs heart rate
Heart rate is the number of beats per minute; heart rhythm is the regularity and pattern of the beats.
Practice
The doctor said the patient had an irregular ______ and ordered more tests.
Choose one answer.
'Heart rhythm' is the medical pattern of the heartbeat, which can be irregular. 'Heart rendering' is a misspelling of 'heart-rending' (deeply sad), 'heart to heart' means an honest private talk, and 'pitter patter' describes a light tapping sound, not a heartbeat.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “heart rhythm”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.