take heart

Meaning

1. 1phraseidiom

   To feel braver or more hopeful about a difficult situation, especially because of something encouraging.

   Grammar: An idiom; often an order to someone else, and followed by from or that: take heart from the news.

   Patterns

   • take heart from something
   • take heart that something

   Take heart, the worst of the storm has passed.

   The team took heart from their late goal and fought on.

   Patients can take heart from the new research results.

Word forms

Common combinations

take heart from

Voters can take heart from the improving figures.

take heart that

Take heart that you have already done the hardest part.

take heart in

She took heart in her friends' support.

try to take heart

I try to take heart when things go wrong.

let us take heart

Let us take heart and keep going.

Synonyms and how they differ

cheer up

Cheer up is more informal and about getting happier, while take heart stresses finding courage to continue.

be encouraged

Be encouraged is more neutral and passive, whereas take heart sounds like an active decision.

keep your chin up

Keep your chin up is informal and tells someone to stay brave in hardship.

take courage

Take courage is a more formal and slightly literary alternative that stresses bravery over hope.

Opposites

Word family

heart noun

courage or spirit, as well as the organ

hearten verb

to make someone feel more cheerful or hopeful

heartening adjective

giving hope or encouragement

disheartened adjective

having lost hope or confidence

Commonly confused: take heart or take to heart?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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