English

Verb

break someone's heart

1. (idiomatic) To cause a person to feel grief or sadness.

   He broke my heart, so I broke his jaw.

   • 1976, Elton John, Don't Go Breaking My Heart,

     Don't go breaking my heart / I couldn't if I tried / Honey if I get restless / Baby you're not that kind.

   • 2010, Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris, Baby

     "We're just friends," what are you sayin'? / Said "there's another," and looked right in my eyes / My first love broke my heart for the first time.

Related terms

• heartbreaker
• heart-breaking

Translations