hole in my heart

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiomfigurative

   A painful feeling of emptiness caused by losing someone or something you love.

   Grammar: Used as a countable noun phrase: there is a hole in my heart; it leaves a hole in my heart.

   Patterns

   • a hole in my heart
   • leave a hole in someone's heart
   • fill the hole in someone's heart

   After her grandmother died, she said there was a hole in her heart that nothing could fill.

   Moving away from his hometown left a hole in his heart for years.

   Singing that old song always opens a hole in my heart.

2. 2phraseidiommedical

   A serious medical defect in the wall between the heart's chambers, present from birth.

   Grammar: In medical use it is countable and often appears with 'have' or 'born with': born with a hole in the heart.

   Patterns

   • born with a hole in the heart
   • have a hole in the heart

   The baby was born with a hole in the heart and needed surgery.

   Doctors found a small hole in his heart during a routine check.

Common combinations

leave a hole in someone's heart

Losing their dog left a hole in the whole family's heart.

fill a hole in someone's heart

Her new friends slowly filled the hole in her heart.

a hole in my heart

There's still a hole in my heart where he used to be.

born with a hole in the heart

He was born with a hole in the heart but is healthy now.

Synonyms and how they differ

emptiness

Emptiness is a general feeling of nothing inside; a hole in my heart is more personal and tied to loss.

heartache

Heartache is the ongoing pain of sadness or love trouble; a hole in my heart suggests a missing part rather than pain alone.

void

Void is a literary word for a large empty space; a hole in my heart is warmer and more everyday.

Commonly confused: hole in my heart or heart attack?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “hole in my heart”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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