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heart rate

heart rate

168 2.5
The number of times the heart beats in one minute
  • noun
  • /hɑrt reɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : frecuencia cardíaca
  • After climbing the stairs, her heart rate increased significantly, indicating the effort she had put in.
  • target heart rate
  • heart rate monitors
  • get your heart rate

I get a lot of increased heart rate and misplaced anger.

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Examples

  • The current study was designed to explore student perceptions of using heart rate monitors during physical education class.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Student responses also indicated that physical education was not as enjoyable since the heart rate monitors had been introduced.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Many people worry that their heart rate does not come down fast enough.

  • Keep your heart rate low.

  • Your heart rate is rather quick.

  • Your breathing can directly impact your heart rate and your level of stress or calm.

  • This chart maps the teacher's heart rate against the noise level.

  • The astronauts sat still for a moment, letting their breath and heart rates fall back toward normal.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • During exercise, you should aim to keep your heart rate within the target zone for optimal fitness.

  • The doctor monitored my heart rate to assess my cardiovascular health during the check-up.

Synonyms

pulse
vsheart rate
632 2.3

The regular beat you feel in your wrist or neck from the heart

is the minute by minute numeric measure rather than the felt throbbing
pulse rate
vsheart rate
8 2.8

Number of times the heart beats in one minute

is the general term for that same health indicator
beats per minute
vsheart rate
  • Specialized
5 2.7

Number of times the heart beats in one minute to measure pulse

is the broader health indicator rather than only a reporting unit

How Fast

tachycardia
  • Specialized
10 7.2
heart rate
  • Specialized
168 2.5
bradycardia
  • Specialized
3 7.8

Surface Forms

heart rate singular
heart rates plural

Morphology

heart + rate

The phrase combines 'heart' (the organ) with 'rate' (a measured frequency), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it means the frequency at which the heart beats (e.g., beats per minute). The noun+noun compositional pattern meaning 'the rate of X' is common in English and across languages, making the expression immediately transparent.

Etymology

Heart rate comes from a simple image: the heart is an organ that beats and the word rate means how fast something happens. People measured the 'beats per minute', so heart rate now means the number of times the heart beats in a minute and is used to check health or fitness.