Meaning & use
to your heart's content
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
as much as you want or desire, without limits; often used to say someone can enjoy something freely.
Grammar: Used after a verb like 'eat', 'play', 'read', etc. The possessive changes to match the subject: 'to my heart's content', 'to his heart's content'.
Patterns
- do something to your heart's content
- enjoy something to your heart's content
You can eat all the cake you want to your heart's content.
She played the piano to her heart's content all afternoon.
Common combinations
- eat to your heart's content
- At the buffet, you can eat to your heart's content.
- play to your heart's content
- The kids played in the pool to their heart's content.
- read to your heart's content
- On vacation, I read to my heart's content.
Synonyms and how they differ
- as much as you like
- A more straightforward phrase with the same meaning; 'to your heart's content' is more idiomatic and slightly literary.
Commonly confused: to your heart's content or content?
to your heart's content vs content
The adjective 'content' means happy or satisfied; in this phrase, 'content' is a noun meaning satisfaction, and the whole phrase means 'as much as you want'.
Practice
Complete the sentence: 'After the exam, she relaxed and watched movies ___.'
Choose one answer.
The correct phrase requires a possessive adjective before 'heart's': 'to her heart's content'. Option 1 is missing the apostrophe; option 2 is missing the possessive; option 3 is missing the possessive.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “to your heart's content”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.