to have a heart for
1
3.9
- idiom
:
tener compasión por
- You have a heart for the lost, and that's a beautiful thing!
And thankfully, he also had a heart for things less conventional.
- And thankfully, he also had a heart for things less conventional.
- And a friend of mine said this and he said so well, he said having a heart for the poor, that's easy.
- You know, the one thing that I took away is that that man has a heart for what he's doing and the people he's doing it with.
Examples
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She really has a heart for helping abandoned animals in her community.
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He is known to have a heart for those less fortunate, often volunteering at shelters.
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It's impossible to truly know Jesus and not have a heart for others.
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I ask you to bring up a generation that has a heart for you, Lord.
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I wanted people to know that I have a heart for them.
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I absolutely love that he has a heart for the people.
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We still have a heart for authentic community, and we believe that building it starts with one conversation at a time.
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And I just always had a heart for the underdog.
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They have a heart for their community and clearly contribute a great deal of their time to ensure we are presented in the most positive light.
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"I have a heart for them, and I'm sad that they are going to be gone," Brittani Youman said.
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Synonyms
∞
1.0
To feel that someone or something matters to you
83
3.0
Have sympathy for someone who is suffering
20
6.8
To understand when someone is having a hard time and show you care
11
4.2
Show kindness to someone who needs help
1
7.6
To feel deep sadness and pity for someone who is suffering
1
5.5
To understand and share someone's sadness when they are having a hard time
Antonyms
How Compassionate
1
3.9
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly inferable from 'have' (possess/experience) + 'heart' (centre of emotions/compassion) + 'for' (indicating the target), so a learner who knows these words can reasonably deduce 'have a heart for' means to feel compassion or support for someone. The metaphorical use of 'heart' for compassion is highly conventional and cross-linguistically common, so this construction is predictable rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
Have a heart for comes from the simple image of the heart as the place of feelings. If your heart is open to someone, you 'have a heart for' them, so the phrase means 'to feel compassion' or 'to want to help' someone.