break someone's heart
To cause a person to feel grief, disappointment, or sadness.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Do not break her heart by leaving so soon.”
“He knew that ending their long relationship would break her heart, but he felt it was the only honest choice.”
“The sudden news of his departure served only to break her heart, leaving her to navigate the profound silence of their empty home alone.”
The idiom descends from the Middle English *breke (my) harte*. Its structure has remained fixed in the language since that period, serving as a plain compound of the verb and the noun.
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absence makes the heart grow fonder
One feels more love or affection for those one loves when parted from them.
- 02
all bedlam breaks loose
The situation becomes chaotic or characterized by conflict or rage.
- 03
all heart
Motivated by positive emotions, especially as productive of exceptionally generous or kind behavior.
- 04
all hell breaks loose
The situation becomes chaotic or characterized by conflict or rage.
- 05
another nail in someone's coffin
An event that increases the likelihood of or causes further failure.
- 06
answer someone's prayers
To be or do exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.
- 07
answer to someone's prayers
Exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.
- 08
apple of someone's eye
The object of somebody's affections; a person (or sometimes a thing) that someone strongly prefers; a favorite, a loved one.
Last updated August 10, 2026