heartthrob
noun
heart·throb
ˈhärt-ˌthräb 
1
: the throb of a heart
2
a
: sentimental emotion : passion
b
: sweetheart
also
: a usually renowned man (such as an entertainer) noted for his sex appeal
teen heartthrobs
Examples of heartthrob in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In short order, the director hits on her, a screenwriter (Jude Law) hits on her, and a heartthrob star (Diego Luna) hits on her.
—
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024
Travolta rose to fame in the ’70s for his role as Vinnie Barbarino on Welcome Back, Kotter, and blew up as a heartthrob thanks to his starring roles in Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease (1978), and Urban Cowboy (1980).
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 28 Jan. 2024
The shot immortalized the shirt in TV costume history and jumpstarted Firth’s reputation as a British heartthrob.
—Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024
Leo Woodall’s role as Dexter in One Day secured his status as a Netflix heartthrob — something his girlfriend Meghann Fahy has known for a while now.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024
New series featuring Fifty Shades of Grey heartthrob Jamie Dornan as identical twins and Julie Delpy as the French president are among the highlights of Netflix‘s new British series slate, which the streamer unveiled at an event in London on Thursday.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024
Joe Keery has already solidified himself as a breakthrough actor during his run as heartthrob Steve Harrington in Netflix’s Stranger Things.
—Xander Zellner, Billboard, 27 Feb. 2024
Others say it’s influenced by a national fan culture powered by intense worship of stars, who are in some cases heartthrobs.
—John Yoon, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024
While Jack's most romantic gesture involved not murdering everyone's favorite harried personal assistant, Woodall steps up his heartthrob game for the upcoming Netflix adaptation of David Nicholls’ best-selling romance, One Day.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 8 Feb. 2024
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024
Travolta rose to fame in the ’70s for his role as Vinnie Barbarino on Welcome Back, Kotter, and blew up as a heartthrob thanks to his starring roles in Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease (1978), and Urban Cowboy (1980).
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 28 Jan. 2024
The shot immortalized the shirt in TV costume history and jumpstarted Firth’s reputation as a British heartthrob.
—Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024
Leo Woodall’s role as Dexter in One Day secured his status as a Netflix heartthrob — something his girlfriend Meghann Fahy has known for a while now.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024
New series featuring Fifty Shades of Grey heartthrob Jamie Dornan as identical twins and Julie Delpy as the French president are among the highlights of Netflix‘s new British series slate, which the streamer unveiled at an event in London on Thursday.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024
Joe Keery has already solidified himself as a breakthrough actor during his run as heartthrob Steve Harrington in Netflix’s Stranger Things.
—Xander Zellner, Billboard, 27 Feb. 2024
Others say it’s influenced by a national fan culture powered by intense worship of stars, who are in some cases heartthrobs.
—John Yoon, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024
While Jack's most romantic gesture involved not murdering everyone's favorite harried personal assistant, Woodall steps up his heartthrob game for the upcoming Netflix adaptation of David Nicholls’ best-selling romance, One Day.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 8 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heartthrob.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Heartthrob.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heartthrob. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
heartthrob
noun
heart·throb
-ˌthräb
1
: the throb of a heart
2
: a sentimental emotion : passion
b
: sweetheart
also
: an attractive and usually famous man
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