# hearts

/ˈhɑɹts/ (US) · /hˈɑːts/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hearts
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. plural of heart

noun · CEFR A1

more than one heart, either the organ in the body or the shape.

For teachers: the plural form of heart, referring to multiple cardiac organs or multiple instances of the heart symbol.

- The children cut out several paper hearts to decorate the classroom for the party.
- The study compared the hearts of various mammals to determine how exercise affects cardiac muscle density over time.

### 2. playing card suit

noun · CEFR A2

one of the four groups in a pack of cards, shown by a red heart shape.

For teachers: one of the four suits in a standard deck of playing cards, represented by a red heart icon.

- He was lucky to have the ace of hearts in his hand during the final round.
- In many card games, hearts are considered a major suit, though their specific value depends entirely on the rules of the game being played.

### 3. the card game

noun · CEFR B1

a specific card game where you try to avoid winning certain cards.

For teachers: a trick-taking card game where the objective is usually to avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades.

- We spent the rainy afternoon playing hearts in the hotel lobby.
- The strategy in hearts revolves around passing high-value cards to opponents to ensure they receive the penalty points instead of you.

## Examples

- The doctor listens to their hearts during the checkup.
- In many card games, the player holding the queen of spades wants to avoid winning any hearts.
- The poet used the image of two beating hearts to symbolise the deep emotional connection between the protagonists, transcending the physical distance that separated them.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.