Standard Lemma guide

pacemaker

noun · 7 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈpeɪsˌmeɪkəɹ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: P EY1 S M EY2 K ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Specialized cells which stimulate the heart to beat.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences

Examples

  • natural pacemaker
  • cardiac pacemaker

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A medical implement that is used to stimulate a heart to beat by simulating the action of the natural pacemaker.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

Topics: medicine, sciences

Examples

  • artificial pacemaker

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

One who sets the pace in a race, to guide the others.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncommon

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pacesetter

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a horse used to set the pace in racing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pacer, pacesetter

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: racehorse, race horse, bangtail

5

noun

Meaning 5

an implanted electronic device that takes over the function of the natural cardiac pacemaker

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: artificial pacemaker

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: electronic device

6

noun

Meaning 6

a specialized bit of heart tissue that controls the heartbeat

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cardiac pacemaker, sinoatrial node, SA node

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cardiac muscle, heart muscle

7

noun

Meaning 7

a leading instance in its field

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the new policy will be a pacesetter in community relations

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pacesetter

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: exemplar, example, model, good example

History

Etymology

From pace + maker.

Across languages

Translations

86 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 帶步人 /带步人 (dàibùrén) — one who sets the pace in a race
  • Chinese Mandarin: 配速員 /配速员 (pèisùyuán) — one who sets the pace in a race
  • Dutch: pacemaker — one who sets the pace in a race
  • Finnish: vauhdinpitäjä — one who sets the pace in a race
  • French: meneur de train — one who sets the pace in a race
  • German: Schrittmacher — one who sets the pace in a race
  • German: Pacemaker — one who sets the pace in a race
  • German: Tempomacher — one who sets the pace in a race
  • Irish: séadaire — one who sets the pace in a race
  • Italian: lepre — one who sets the pace in a race
  • Italian: battistrada — one who sets the pace in a race
  • Polish: zając — one who sets the pace in a race
  • Serbo-Croatian: pejsmejker — one who sets the pace in a race
  • Spanish: liebre — one who sets the pace in a race
  • Swedish: hare — one who sets the pace in a race
  • Swedish: pacemaker — one who sets the pace in a race
  • Chinese Cantonese: 竇房結 /窦房结 (dau6 fong4 git3) — anatomy: set of nerves
  • Chinese Mandarin: 竇房結 /窦房结 (dòufángjié) — anatomy: set of nerves
  • Finnish: sydänhermo — anatomy: set of nerves
  • Hindi: गतिप्रेरक (gatiprerak) — anatomy: set of nerves
  • Italian: pacemaker — anatomy: set of nerves
  • Italian: segnapassi cardiaco — anatomy: set of nerves
  • Italian: segnaritmo cardiaco — anatomy: set of nerves
  • Italian: marcapassi cardiaco — anatomy: set of nerves
  • Italian: marcaritmo cardiaco — anatomy: set of nerves
  • Italian: ritmatore cardiaco — anatomy: set of nerves
  • Italian: ritmizzatore cardiaco — anatomy: set of nerves
  • Italian: nodo senoatriale — anatomy: set of nerves
  • Northern Kurdish: pêngave diristker — anatomy: set of nerves
  • Macedonian: предводник (predvodnik) — anatomy: set of nerves
  • Persian: ضربانساز (zarabân-sâz) — anatomy: set of nerves
  • Polish: węzeł zatokowo-przedsionkowy — anatomy: set of nerves
  • Spanish: marcapasos — anatomy: set of nerves
  • Catalan: marcapassos — medical implement
  • Chinese Mandarin: 起搏器 (qǐbóqì) — medical implement
  • Czech: kardiostimulátor — medical implement
  • Danish: pacemaker — medical implement
  • Dutch: pacemaker — medical implement
  • Faroese: kvikil — medical implement
  • Finnish: sydämentahdistin — medical implement
  • Finnish: tahdistin — medical implement
  • French: stimulateur cardiaque — medical implement
  • French: pacemaker — medical implement
  • French: stimulateur — medical implement
  • Galician: marcapasos — medical implement
  • Georgian: ელექტროკარდიოსტიმულატორი (elekṭroḳardiosṭimulaṭori) — medical implement
  • Georgian: კარდიოსტიმულატორი (ḳardiosṭimulaṭori) — medical implement
  • German: Herzschrittmacher — medical implement
  • German: Pacemaker — medical implement
  • Greenlandic: batteri — medical implement
  • Hindi: गतिनिर्धारक यन्ट् (gatinirdhārak yanṭ) — medical implement
  • Hungarian: szívritmus-szabályozó — medical implement
  • Hungarian: pacemaker — medical implement
  • Icelandic: gangráður — medical implement
  • Indonesian: pacu jantung — medical implement
  • Irish: séadaire — medical implement
  • Italian: pacemaker — medical implement
  • Italian: segnapassi cardiaco — medical implement
  • Italian: segnaritmo cardiaco — medical implement
  • Italian: marcapassi cardiaco — medical implement
  • Italian: marcaritmo cardiaco — medical implement
  • Italian: ritmatore cardiaco — medical implement
  • Italian: ritmizzatore cardiaco — medical implement
  • Italian: stimolatore cardiaco — medical implement
  • Italian: cardiostimolatore — medical implement
  • Italian: regolabattito — medical implement
  • Japanese: ペースメーカー (pēsumēkā) — medical implement
  • Korean: 심장박동조율기 (simjangbakdongjoyulgi) — medical implement
  • Northern Kurdish: pêngave diristker a destkar — medical implement
  • Malay: alat pacu jantung — medical implement
  • Māori: mīhini whakataki manawa — medical implement
  • Polish: rozrusznik serca — medical implement
  • Polish: rozrusznik — medical implement
  • Portuguese: marca-passo — medical implement
  • Russian: электрокардиостимуля́тор (elektrokardiostimuljátor) — medical implement
  • Russian: ЭКС (EKS) — medical implement
  • Russian: кардиостимуля́тор (kardiostimuljátor) — medical implement
  • Serbo-Croatian: pejsmejker — medical implement
  • Serbo-Croatian: srčani elektrostimulator — medical implement
  • Slovak: kardiostimulátor — medical implement
  • Spanish: marcapaso — medical implement
  • Spanish: marcapasos — medical implement
  • Spanish: estimulador cardíaco — medical implement
  • Swedish: pacemaker — medical implement
  • Turkish: kalp pili — medical implement
  • Welsh: rheolydd calon — medical implement
Real reading context

pacemaker in complete knowledge articles