to heart sank
8
5.0
- idiom
- Informal
:
se me cayó el corazón
- As he received the bad news about his job, his heart sank unexpectedly.
Examples
-
Two riders were coming out of the trees down there, and Luke's heart sank when he saw who it was.
Fiction book (1998) -
As I approached the cellos and observed many desperate hands raised for help, my heart sank.
Academic text (2014) -
"No problem," I said, my heart sinking at the thought of a weekend alone in Greater.
Fiction book (1995) -
After I heard the price, my heart sank down to the ground.
-
When the doctor came out from the operation and confirmed it was cancer, my heart sank.
Academic text (2003) -
When she arrived at the corner where the car lot used to be, her heart sank.
Fiction book (1990) -
But when I caught sight of him just ahead, my heart sank.
Fiction book (1993) -
I wandered from there into the gift shop, where my heart sank in disbelief.
Fiction book (1990) -
Larissa's heart sank, and she averted her gaze from his, looking out over the water.
Fiction book (1992) -
When I found out that the concert was canceled, my heart sank with disappointment.
Antonyms
How Sad
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is a straightforward metaphor: 'heart' = center of emotions and 'sank' = fell, so a learner who knows both words can usually infer sudden disappointment or sadness. However, this is a conventionalized metaphorical collocation rather than a literal compositional phrase, so the exact nuance and usage may not be fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Heart sank comes from a simple image: when you hear bad news your heart seems to drop down, as if it sank into your chest. That's why the phrase means 'to feel suddenly sad or disappointed'.