the ticker

Meanings

1. 1nounsingularinformal

   The heart, especially when talking about its steady beating or its health.

   Grammar: Always used with 'the' or a possessive: 'his ticker', 'the old ticker'. Do not say 'a ticker' for a heart.

   Patterns

   • someone's ticker
   • have a healthy ticker
   • keep the ticker going

   After his check-up, the doctor said his ticker was in great shape.

   She jokes that red wine and long walks keep her ticker happy.

   You could see his ticker pounding after he ran up the stairs.

2. 2nouncountabletechnical

   A machine that prints or shows changing prices, scores, or messages on a long strip of paper or a screen.

   Grammar: Countable: 'a ticker', 'the tickers'. Often used in compounds like 'news ticker'.

   Patterns

   • a news ticker
   • a stock ticker

   The old stock ticker in the lobby still clatters away during trading hours.

   A news ticker at the bottom of the screen showed the latest headlines.

Word forms

Common combinations

a healthy ticker

Regular exercise is one way to keep a healthy ticker.

someone's ticker

His ticker raced as he waited for the results.

the ticker goes

The ticker goes faster when you are nervous.

keep the ticker going

A little walking every day helps keep the ticker going.

Synonyms and how they differ

heart

The standard, neutral word for the organ; 'ticker' is informal and often affectionate or humorous, so use 'heart' in medical or formal contexts.

pump

A very informal, figurative way to refer to the heart; it is less common than 'ticker' and sounds more slangy.

Word family

tick verb

To make a regular short sound, like a clock or a heart.

ticker tape noun

The long paper strip printed by a stock ticker; also used in 'ticker-tape parade'.

Commonly confused: the ticker or ticket? the ticker or tricker?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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