heart attack
noun Pathology.
damage to an area of heart muscle that is deprived of oxygen, usually due to blockage of a diseased coronary artery, typically accompanied by chest pain radiating down one or both arms, the severity of the attack varying with the extent and location of the damage; myocardial infarction.
Compare
coronary thrombosis.
Origin of heart attack
First recorded in 1925–30
Words nearby heart attack
hearse,
hearst,
hearst, william randolph,
heart,
heart and soul,
heart attack,
heart block,
heart cam,
heart cherry,
heart disease,
heart failure
Example sentences from the Web for heart attack
She must have suffered a heart-attack and fallen as she tried to cross the room alone.
Destiny |Charles Neville Buck
British Dictionary definitions for heart attack
heart attack
noun
any sudden severe instance of abnormal heart functioning, esp coronary thrombosis
Medical definitions for heart attack
heart attack
n.
Acute myocardial infarction typically resulting from an occlusion or obstruction of a coronary artery and characterized by sudden, severe pain in the chest that often radiates to the shoulder, arm, or jaw.
Scientific definitions for heart attack
heart attack
Necrosis of a region of the heart muscle caused by an interruption in the supply of blood to the heart, usually as a result of occlusion of a coronary artery resulting from coronary artery disease. Symptoms typically include sudden, crushing chest pain, nausea, and sweating. Characteristic changes in the electrocardiogram are used to diagnose heart attacks. Also called myocardial infarction
Cultural definitions for heart attack
heart attack
An episode of heart failure or the stopping of normal heart function; a coronary thrombosis. Symptoms of a heart attack include pain and pressure in the chest, which often spread to the shoulder, arm, and neck. Today, physicians tend to define heart attack in terms of muscle damage to the heart caused by oxygen deprivation.