heartstring

noun

heart·​string ˈhärt-ˌstriŋ 

1

obsolete : a nerve once believed to sustain the heart

2

: the deepest emotions or affections

—usually used in plural

That movie really pulls at your heartstrings.

Did you know?

Heartstring Has a Medical History

Before a love song could tug at your heartstrings, the job was more likely to be accomplished by a surgeon: the word heartstring used to refer to a nerve believed to sustain the heart. You might recognize the word's second syllable in hamstring, which refers to both a group of tendons at the back of the knee and to any of three muscles at the backs of the upper legs. It's also apparent in a rare dialect term for the Achilles tendon: heel string. And in light of these terms, it's not surprising to know that string itself was at one time used independently to refer to bodily cords like tendons and ligaments.

Synonyms

• feeling
• passions
• sensibilities

Examples of heartstring in a Sentence

always said she didn't care much for cats, but now the little kitten was tugging at her heartstrings

a story that will touch the very heartstrings of its readers

Recent Examples on the Web

Perry pulls the heartstrings shamelessly but expertly in a way that would make Frank Capra proud. —Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Dec. 2024

The penultimate episode of Pachinko Season 2 surely yanked at the heartstrings of any parent who has ever sent a first child off to college. —Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 11 Oct. 2024

Based on the 1982 novel Shoeless Joe, the film from writer-director Phil Alden Robinson tugged — no, yanked — at heartstrings with its sweet nostalgia, high-concept plot, father-son dynamics and general excellence. —Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2024

At Sainsbury’s, the collaboration with Roald Dahl’s The BFG leans into nostalgia, tugging at consumers’ heartstrings with a dose of festive magic. —Kate Hardcastle, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

heartstring

noun

heart·​string -ˌstriŋ 

: the deepest emotions or affections

touched the heartstrings of the audience