break someone's heart
English edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English breke (my) harte.
Pronunciation edit
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb edit
break someone's heart (third-person singular simple present breaks someone's heart, present participle breaking someone's heart, simple past broke someone's heart, past participle broken someone's heart)
- (idiomatic) To cause a person to feel grief, disappointment or sadness.
- 1976, Elton John (lyrics and music), “Don't Go Breaking My Heart”, performed by Elton John ft. Kiki Dee:
- Don't go breaking my heart / I couldn't if I tried / Honey if I get restless / Baby you're not that kind
- 2003 February 7, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, directed by David Dobkin, Shanghai Knights, spoken by Chon Wang (Jackie Chan):
- If you break her heart, I'll break your legs.
- 2010, “Baby”, performed by Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris:
- "We're just friends," what are you sayin'? / Said "there's another," and looked right in my eyes / My first love broke my heart for the first time
- 2020, Dua Lipa, Ali Tamposi, Stefan Johnson, Jordan K. Johnson, Andrew Watt, Andrew Farriss, Michael Hutchence, “Break My Heart”, in Future Nostalgia[1], performed by Dua Lipa:
- Oh no, I was doin' better alone / But when you said "Hello" / I know that was the end of it all / I should've stayed at home / 'Cause now there ain't no letting you go / Am I falling in love / With the one that could break my heart?
Related terms edit
- heartbreak (noun), heartbreaker (noun)
- heartbreaking (adj) (of an agent), heartbroken (adj) (of a patient)
- broken heart (noun), brokenhearted (adj), brokenheartedly (adverb), brokenheartedness (noun)
Translations edit
to cause a person to feel grief or sadness
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