Phrase guide

heart failure

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The chronic inability of the heart to pump a sufficient amount of blood throughout the body, leading to a pooling of blood and shortness of breath.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: cardiology, medicine, pathology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: congestive cardiac failure, congestive heart failure

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: cardiology, medicine, pathology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

inability of the heart to pump enough blood to sustain normal bodily functions

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: coronary failure

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: failure, heart disease, cardiopathy

Narrower terms: congestive heart failure, heart attack

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

63 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: قُصُور القَلْب (quṣūr al-qalb) — chronic inability of the heart
  • Arabic: فَشَل القَلْب (fašal al-qalb) — chronic inability of the heart
  • Azerbaijani: ürək çatışmazlığı — chronic inability of the heart
  • Catalan: fallida cardíaca — chronic inability of the heart
  • Chinese Mandarin: 心衰竭 (xīnshuāijié) — chronic inability of the heart
  • Chinese Mandarin: 心臟衰竭 /心脏衰竭 (xīnzàng shuāijié) — chronic inability of the heart
  • Chinese Mandarin: 心力衰竭 (xīnlì shuāijié) — chronic inability of the heart
  • Czech: srdeční selhání — chronic inability of the heart
  • Danish: hjerteinsufficiens — chronic inability of the heart
  • Danish: hjertesvigt — chronic inability of the heart
  • Dutch: hartfalen — chronic inability of the heart
  • Esperanto: kora malsufiĉo — chronic inability of the heart
  • Estonian: südamepuudulikkus — chronic inability of the heart
  • Finnish: sydämen vajaatoiminta — chronic inability of the heart
  • French: insuffisance cardiaque — chronic inability of the heart
  • Galician: insuficiencia cardíaca — chronic inability of the heart
  • German: Herzschwäche — chronic inability of the heart
  • German: Herzinsuffizienz — chronic inability of the heart
  • Greek: καρδιακή ανεπάρκεια (kardiakí anepárkeia) — chronic inability of the heart
  • Hungarian: szívelégtelenség — chronic inability of the heart
  • Indonesian: gagal jantung — chronic inability of the heart
  • Italian: insufficienza cardiaca — chronic inability of the heart
  • Italian: scompenso cardiaco — chronic inability of the heart
  • Japanese: 心不全 (shinfuzen) — chronic inability of the heart
  • Kazakh: жүрек жетіспеушілігі (jürek jetıspeuşılıgı) — chronic inability of the heart
  • Malay: lemah jantung — chronic inability of the heart
  • Norwegian Bokmål: hjertesvikt — chronic inability of the heart
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: hjartesvikt — chronic inability of the heart
  • Persian: نارسایی قلب (nâresâyi e qalb) — chronic inability of the heart
  • Polish: niewydolność serca — chronic inability of the heart
  • Portuguese: insuficiência cardíaca — chronic inability of the heart
  • Romanian: insuficiență cardiacă — chronic inability of the heart
  • Russian: серде́чная недоста́точность (serdéčnaja nedostátočnostʹ) — chronic inability of the heart
  • Russian: серде́чная сла́бость (serdéčnaja slábostʹ) — chronic inability of the heart
  • Spanish: insuficiencia cardiaca — chronic inability of the heart
  • Swedish: hjärtsvikt — chronic inability of the heart
  • Swedish: hjärtinsufficiens — chronic inability of the heart
  • Turkish: kalp yetmezliği — chronic inability of the heart
  • Ukrainian: серце́ва недоста́тність (sercéva nedostátnistʹ) — chronic inability of the heart
  • Welsh: methiant y galon — chronic inability of the heart
  • Welsh: pall ar y galon — chronic inability of the heart
  • Chinese Mandarin: 心臟停搏 /心脏停搏 (xīnzàng tíngbó) — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Chinese Mandarin: 心臟驟停 /心脏骤停 (xīnzàng zhòutíng) — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Chinese Mandarin: 心搏驟停 /心搏骤停 (xīnbó zhòutíng) — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Chinese Mandarin: 心搏骤停) (xīnbó zhòutíng) — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Danish: hjertestop — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Danish: hjerteslag — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Finnish: sydämenpysähdys — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • German: Herzversagen — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Greek: συγκοπή (sygkopí) — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Plautdietsch: Hoatschlach — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Polish: zatrzymanie akcji serca — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Polish: nagłe zatrzymanie krążenia — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Polish: NZK — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Russian: остано́вка се́рдца (ostanóvka sérdca) — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Russian: инфа́ркт (infárkt) — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Russian: инфа́ркт миока́рда (infárkt miokárda) — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Serbo-Croatian: infarkt — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Serbo-Croatian: zatajenje srca — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Serbo-Croatian: infarkt miokarda — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Spanish: paro cardiaco — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Tamil: மாரடைப்பு (māraṭaippu) — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest
  • Welsh: ataliad y galon — cessation of the heartbeat; cardiac arrest