mind and personality

heart

heart S1 W1 /hɑːt $ hɑːrt/ BrE AmE noun
[Word Family: adjective: heartened ≠ disheartened, heartening ≠ disheartening, heartless, hearty; noun: heart, heartlessness, heartiness; adverb: heartily, heartlessly, hearteningly ≠ dishearteningly; verb: hearten ≠ dishearten]
[Language: Old English; Origin: heorte]

1. BODY ORGAN [countable] the organ in your chest which pumps blood through your body:
Regular exercise is good for the heart.
Can you hear my heart beating?
Her cheeks were hot and her heart was pounding.
My heart raced. Were we going to land safely?
Daniel had no history of heart problems.
She suffers from a rare heart condition.
His breathing and heart rate were now normal.
2. EMOTIONS/LOVE [countable] the part of you that feels strong emotions and feelings:
His heart was full of anger and grief.
The plight of the refugees had tugged at the nation’s heart.
The doctor had an extremely kind heart.
She could hardly speak for the ache in her heart.
It would break Kate’s heart (=make her extremely sad) to leave the lovely old house.
He left the country with a heavy heart (=great sadness).
Edith loved her boy with all her heart and soul.
I was still pretty innocent then when it came to affairs of the heart (=matters relating to love and sex).
a woman with a heart of gold (=very kind character)
Sometimes I think he’s got a heart of stone (=very cruel character).
I’m glad I followed my heart rather than my head for once.
My father told me never to let my heart rule my head.
kind-hearted/cold-hearted/hard-hearted etc (=having a kind, unkind, cruel etc character)
He thinks of himself as a warm-hearted and caring human being.
3. YOUR CHEST [countable usually singular] the part of your chest near your heart:
He put his hand on his heart.
4. SHAPE [countable] a shape used to represent a heart
5. from the (bottom of your) heart with great sincerity and strength of feeling:
Leonard spoke from the heart.
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.
She sang the songs straight from the heart.
6. in your heart (of hearts) if you know, feel, or believe something in your heart, you are secretly sure about it although you may not admit it:
In her heart she knew she would never go.
Deep in his heart, he wanted Laura back.
7. IMPORTANT PART OF SOMETHING [singular] the most important or central part of a problem, question etc
the heart of something
difficult issues at the heart of science policy
We must get to the heart of the problem.
8. ENCOURAGEMENT [uncountable] confidence and courage:
This inspiring service gave us new heart.
We mustn’t lose heart when people complain.
We’ve got to take a bit of heart from the fact that we won.
9. at heart if you are a particular kind of person at heart, that is the kind of person that you really are even though you may appear or behave differently:
He may be a working class boy at heart, but his lifestyle has been transformed.
Let’s face it, we’re all romantics at heart. ⇨ have sb’s (best) interests at heart at interest¹(5), ⇨ young at heart at young¹(5)
10. THE CENTRE OF AN AREA [countable] the middle part of an area furthest from the edge
in the heart of something
a house in the heart of London
at the heart of something
an old house at the heart of an ancient forest
11. close/dear to sb’s heart very important to someone:
The President liked to go to Williamsburg, a place close to his heart.
Money is dear to Kathleen’s heart.
12. the hearts and minds of somebody the thoughts, emotions, and attitudes a group of people have about a particular subject, which is a combination of their strong emotional feelings and their calm and sensible thoughts:
The president must try to win the hearts and minds of the voters.
13. by heart when you know something by heart, you remember all of it exactly:
After a few days of phoning Stephanie, he knew her number by heart.
Actors have to learn their lines by heart.
14. sb’s heart sinks used to say that someone suddenly lost hope and began to feel unhappy:
Her heart sank when she saw the number of books she had to read.
15. with all your heart with all your strength, energy, or emotion:
He hates Los Angeles with all his heart.
We sang the hymn with all our hearts.
16. take something to heart to consider what someone says to you very seriously, often because it upsets you:
Anne took his criticisms very much to heart.
We took Stephen’s warnings to heart.
17. sb’s heart goes out to somebody used to say that someone feels a lot of sympathy towards another person:
My heart goes out to the families of the victims.
18. CARD GAMES
a) [countable] a heart shape printed in red on a playing card
b) hearts [plural] the suit (=set) of playing cards that have these shapes on them:
the ace of hearts
c) [countable] one of the cards in this set:
Have you got any hearts?
19. do something to your heart’s content to do something as much as you want:
She had lazed around the pool to her heart’s content.
The dog can run to its heart’s content out there.
20. sb’s heart misses/skips a beat used to say that someone suddenly feels a moment of fear or excitement:
His heart missed a beat as he saw the body of a small child at the water’s edge.
21. set your heart on something to want something very much:
His father bought him the bike he had set his heart on.
She had set her heart on becoming a hairdresser.
22. a man/woman etc after my own heart someone who likes the same things or behaves in the same way that you do:
Geoff really is a man after my own heart.
23. cry/sing etc your heart out if you cry, sing etc your heart out, you do it with all your energy or emotion:
He found me crying my heart out and was so kind. ⇨ eat your heart out at eat(4), ⇨ pour your heart out at ↑pour
24. your heart’s desire/everything your heart could desire the one thing you want most, or everything that you could possibly want:
To have a baby was her heart’s desire.
25. not have the heart to do something to be unable to do something because it will make someone unhappy:
I didn’t have the heart to tell her that her beautiful vase was broken.
26. sb’s heart isn’t in it used to say that someone does not really want to do something:
She’s getting bored with the job and her heart’s not in it.
27. do something out of the goodness of your heart to do something out of kindness, not because you have been asked or expect a reward:
All these people were helping us out of the goodness of their hearts.
28. take somebody to your heart if people take someone to their hearts, they like them very much:
The fans have taken Hudson to their hearts.
29. VEGETABLE [countable] the firm middle part of some vegetables:
artichoke hearts
30. give/lose your heart to somebody to start to love someone very much
31. my heart was in my mouth used to say that you suddenly felt very afraid
32. sb’s heart is in the right place informal used to say that someone is really a kind person and has the right feelings about something important:
I don’t think his idea will work, though his heart’s in the right place.
33. it does your heart good to see/hear something used to say that something makes you feel happy
34. sb’s heart leaps literary used to say that someone suddenly feels happy and full of hope:
‘I couldn’t live without you,’ he said and Jane’s heart leapt.
35. be in good heart formal to feel happy and confident:
The team are in good heart and ready for the season’s matches.
36. have a heart! used to tell someone not to be too strict or unkind – used humorously
37. know the way to sb’s heart to know the way to please someone – used humorously
38. my heart bleeds (for somebody) used to say that you do not really feel any sympathy towards someone
⇨ a broken heart at broken²(9), ⇨ cross my heart at cross¹(11), ⇨ have a change of heart at change²(1), ⇨ sick at heart at sick¹(9), ⇨ strike at the heart of something at strike¹(7), ⇨ wear your heart on your sleeve at wear¹(8), ⇨ win sb’s heart at win¹(3)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ verbs
▪ sb’s heart beats Her heart was beating fast.
▪ sb’s heart pounds/thuds/thumps (=it beats very strongly) He reached the top, his heart pounding.
▪ sb’s heart races (=it beats very fast) Was there someone in the alley? Joe’s heart began to race.
■ heart + NOUN
▪ heart trouble/problems You should not take this medication if you have heart problems.
▪ heart disease Smoking increases the risk of heart disease.
▪ a heart condition (=something wrong with your heart) The baby was born with a heart condition.
▪ sb’s heart rate (=the number of times someone’s heart beats per minute) Your heart rate increases as you exercise.
■ adjectives
▪ healthy Eating oily fish can help maintain a healthy heart.
▪ a bad/weak heart (=an unhealthy heart) The effort proved too much for her weak heart.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ adjectives
▪ a good/kind heart (=a kind character) My father had a good heart.
▪ a big heart (=a kind and generous character) She may be only small, but she has a big heart.
▪ a soft heart (=a kind and sympathetic character) Julia’s soft heart had been touched by Minnie’s grief.
▪ a cold/hard heart (=used about someone who does not feel sympathy for other people) It takes a hard heart not to be moved by these images of suffering.
▪ a heavy heart (=feeling very sad) She made her way to the hospital with a heavy heart.
▪ a light heart (=feeling happy) Paul left for home with a light heart.
▪ a broken heart (=feeling very sad because of a problem in love) I wonder how many broken hearts Carlo was responsible for.
■ verbs
▪ break sb’s heart (=make someone feel very sad) It broke my heart to see him so sick.
▪ follow your heart (= do what your emotions want you to do) Go for it. Follow your heart. Who cares what everyone else thinks?
▪ sb’s heart aches (=to feel very sad) It made his heart ache to look at her
■ phrases
▪ heart and soul (=all your feelings) She loved Peter with all her heart and soul.
▪ affairs of the heart (=matters relating to love) I had little experience of affairs of the heart.
▪ sb’s heart rules their head (=someone makes decisions based on emotions rather than careful thought) He has never been one to let his heart rule his head.
▪ a heart of gold (=a very kind character) She was rather brisk in manner but with a heart of gold.
▪ a heart of stone (=a very cruel character) You’d have to have a heart of stone not to feel sorry for them.
▪ be in good heart (=to be happy and confident) The team was in good heart, despite their loss this weekend.
▪ be sick at heart (=to feel very unhappy) He was too sick at heart to know what to say.

mind

I. mind1 S1 W1 /maɪnd/ BrE AmE noun
[Word Family: noun: mind, minder, reminder; adjective: mindless, minded, mindful; verb: mind, remind; adverb: mindlessly]
[Language: Old English; Origin: gemynd]
1. ABILITY TO THINK AND IMAGINE [uncountable and countable] your thoughts or your ability to think, feel, and imagine things ⇨ mental:
It is impossible to understand the complex nature of the human mind.
Mind and body are closely related.
Meditation involves focussing the mind on a single object or word.
in sb’s mind
There was no doubt in my mind that it was the right decision to make.
Do you have a clear picture in your mind of what you want?
A plan began to form in his mind.
The event is still fresh in most people’s minds.
independence/strength/flexibility of mind
men who were chosen for their independence of mind
2. change your mind to change your decision, plan, or opinion about something:
I was afraid that Liz would change her mind and take me back home.
change your mind about
If you change your mind about the colour scheme, it’s easy to just paint over it.
3. make up your mind/make your mind up
a) to decide which of two or more choices you want, especially after thinking for a long time:
I wish he’d hurry up and make his mind up.
make up your mind/make your mind up about
He couldn’t make up his mind about what to do with the money.
make up your mind whether
Karen couldn’t make up her mind whether to apply for membership or not.
b) to become very determined to do something, so that you will not change your decision:
No more argument. My mind is made up.
make up your mind to do something
He had clearly made up his mind to end the affair.
make up your mind that
I made up my mind there and then that I would never get married.
c) to decide what your opinion is about someone or something
make up your mind/make your mind up about
I could never really make my mind up about him.
You’re old enough to make your own mind up about smoking.
4. have somebody/something in mind (for something) to have an idea about who or what you want for a particular purpose:
It was a nice house, but it wasn’t quite what we had in mind.
Did you have anyone in mind for the job?
Have you any particular colour in mind for the bedroom?
5. bear/keep somebody/something in mind to remember or think about someone or something when you are doing something:
It’s a good idea – I’ll keep it in mind.
You must always keep the reader in mind when writing a report.
Floor tiles can be difficult to clean – worth keeping in mind when you choose a new floor.
bear/keep in mind that
Bear in mind that the price does not include flights.
More money should be given to housing, bearing in mind (=because of) the problem of homelessness.
6. with somebody/something in mind considering someone or something when doing something, and taking suitable action:
Most gardens designed with children in mind are safe but dull.
With these aims in mind, the school operates a broad-based curriculum.
7. on your/sb’s mind
a) if something is on your mind, you keep thinking or worrying about it:
He looked as though he had something on his mind.
Sorry I forgot. I’ve got a lot on my mind (=a lot of problems to worry about) at the moment.
b) if something is on your mind, that is what you are thinking about:
She’s the type of person who just says what’s on her mind.
8. get/put somebody/something out of your mind (also put somebody/something to the back of your mind) to stop yourself thinking about someone or something:
I just can’t seem to get her out of my mind.
You’ve got to try and put him out of your mind.
She put her disappointment to the back of her mind and concentrated on Dana.
9. cross/enter sb’s mind (also come into sb’s mind) [not in progressive] if something crosses your mind, you have a thought or idea:
It never crossed my mind that Lisa might be lying.
Suddenly a horrible thought came into my mind.
10. go/run/flash etc through sb’s mind if something goes through your mind, you have a thought, especially for a short time:
She knew what was going through his mind.
All kinds of questions ran through my mind.
After the accident, one of the things that went through my mind was whether I would be able to drive again.
11. come/spring to mind [not in progressive] if something comes or springs to mind, you suddenly or immediately think of it:
I just used the first excuse which sprang to mind.
A memory of last night came to mind, and he smiled.
Fatherhood doesn’t immediately spring to mind when you think of James.
► Do not say that something ‘comes to your mind’ or ‘springs to your mind’. Say that it comes to mind or springs to mind.
12. CHARACTER [countable] used to talk about the way that someone thinks and the type of thoughts they have:
He has a very devious mind.
My naturally suspicious mind thought he might be lying.
13. INTELLIGENCE [countable usually singular] your intelligence and ability to think, rather than your emotions:
a mind trained to react with split-second accuracy
a brilliant/enquiring/logical etc mind
a bright child with an enquiring mind
14. INTELLIGENT PERSON [countable] someone who is very intelligent, especially in a particular subject or activity SYN brain:
This is one of the issues that has most interested military minds.
Some of the finest minds in the country are working on the project.
15. state/frame of mind the way someone is thinking and feeling at a particular time:
What happened had a lot to do with my state of mind at the time.
in a good/positive/relaxed etc frame of mind
She returned from lunch in a happier frame of mind.
in the right/wrong frame of mind
You have to be in the right frame of mind to play well.
16. to/in my mind used to show you are giving your opinion about something SYN in my opinion:
The Internet, to my mind, represents information exchange at its best.
17. go/turn over something in your mind to keep thinking about something because you are trying to understand it or solve a problem:
Corbett rode along, turning over in his mind what Bruce had said.
18. be the last thing on sb’s mind (also be the furthest thing from sb’s mind) to be the thing that someone is least likely to be thinking about:
Insurance was the last thing on my mind when we set off that day.
19. take/keep/get sb’s mind off something to make someone stop thinking and worrying about something:
Going back to work helped take my mind off Ian’s death.
Want a game? It might take your mind off things.
20. set/put sb’s mind at rest (also set/put sb’s mind at ease) to make someone feel less worried or anxious:
If you’re worried, see a doctor to set your mind at rest.
21. it/that is a load/weight off sb’s mind informal used to say that someone does not have to worry about something any more
22. prey on sb’s mind (also play on sb’s mind) if a problem preys on your mind, you cannot stop thinking about it:
Finally, she broached the subject that had been playing on her mind for days.
23. no one in their right mind ... (also who in their right mind ...?) informal used to say that someone must be stupid or crazy to do something:
Who in their right mind would want to do that job?
No woman in her right mind would go out with a man like him.
24. be out of your mind informal to be stupid or crazy:
He must have been out of his mind to employ her.
25. be out of your mind with worry/grief etc (also be worried/bored etc out of your mind) to be extremely worried, bored etc:
It was getting late and I was out of my mind with worry.
26. go out of your mind (also lose your mind) informal to become mentally ill or very worried, bored etc SYN go crazy:
Nicole looked at him as if he’d gone out of his mind.
27. sb’s mind goes blank (also sb’s mind is a blank) informal if your mind goes blank, you suddenly cannot remember something:
For some inexplicable reason, her mind went completely blank.
His heart was thumping and his mind was a complete blank.
28. go (right/clean) out of sb’s mind (also slip sb’s mind) if something goes out of your mind, you forget it, especially because you are very busy:
I’m sorry. So much has been happening, it went clean out of my mind.
It had completely slipped her mind that Dave still had a key to the house.
29. bring/call something to mind
a) to make you think of someone or something SYN remind somebody of something:
The wine’s sweet nutty taste calls to mind roasted chestnuts.
b) formal to remember something:
The only thing I could call to mind was something my mother once said.
30. put somebody in mind of somebody/something [not in progressive] formal to remind someone of someone or something:
The girl put me in mind of my own daughter.
31. stick/stay in sb’s mind if a name, fact etc sticks in your mind, you remember it for a long time:
For some reason, the name really stuck in Joe’s mind.
One line from the poem had stayed in her mind.
32. be of one mind/of the same mind/of like mind formal to have the same opinions as someone else:
It can be difficult to meet others of like mind.
be of one mind/of the same mind/of like mind on/about
The council and the government are of one mind on the long-term objective.
33. have a mind of your own
a) to have strong opinions about things, and make your own decisions without being influenced by other people:
She’s a woman without fear, with a mind of her own, who says what she thinks.
b) if an object has a mind of its own, it seems to control itself and does not work or move in the way you want it to:
The bicycle seemed to have a mind of its own and I couldn’t steer it straight.
34. put/set/turn your mind to something to decide that you want to achieve something and try very hard to do it:
I think anyone can lose weight if they set their mind to it.
35. sb’s mind is not on something if your mind is not on what you are doing, you are not thinking much about it because you are thinking or worrying about something else:
His mind didn’t seem to be on the game at all.
36. keep your mind on something to keep paying attention to something, even though it is difficult:
He could hardly keep his mind on what she was saying.
keep your mind on the job/task in/at hand
Making notes is the best way of keeping your mind on the task at hand.
37. sb’s mind wanders if your mind wanders, you no longer pay attention to something, especially because you are bored:
Her mind was beginning to wander.
38. sb’s mind is racing if your mind is racing, you are thinking very quickly and hard about something because you are excited, frightened etc:
He tried to reassure her, but Carrie’s mind was racing.
39. it’s all in the mind used to tell someone that they have imagined something and it does not really exist:
He’s one of those doctors who say you’re not really sick and it’s all in the mind.
40. in your mind’s eye if you see something in your mind’s eye, you imagine or remember clearly what it looks like:
She paused, imagining the scene in her mind’s eye.
41. have it in mind formal to intend to do something
have it in mind to do something
For a long time I had it in mind to write a book about my experiences.
have it in mind that
I had it in mind that one day I might move to Spain.
42. have half a mind to do something spoken
a) (also have a good mind to do something) used to say that you might do something to show that you disapprove of something someone has done:
I’ve a good mind to tell him exactly what I think.
I’ve half a mind to stop him seeing her altogether.
b) used to say that you may decide to do something:
I’ve half a mind to come with you tomorrow.
43. mind over matter used to say that you can use your thoughts to control physical feelings or an unpleasant situation:
I’m scared, yes, but it’s a case of mind over matter.
⇨ in/at the back of your mind at ↑back2(6), ⇨ blow sb’s mind at ↑blow1(15), ⇨ cast your mind back at ↑cast1(9), ⇨ a closed mind at ↑closed(4), ⇨ be in/at/to the forefront of sb’s mind/attention at ↑forefront(2), ⇨ give somebody a piece of your mind at ↑piece1(13), ⇨ great minds think alike at ↑great1(15), ⇨ know your own mind at ↑know1(50), ⇨ the mind boggles at ↑boggle, ⇨ meeting of minds at ↑meeting(5), ⇨ ↑one-track mind, ⇨ an open mind at ↑open1(16), ⇨ out of sight, out of mind at ↑sight1(8), ⇨ peace of mind at ↑peace(3), ⇨ ↑presence of mind, ⇨ read sb’s mind at ↑read1(15), ⇨ set your heart/mind/sights on (doing) something at ↑set1(13), ⇨ be of sound mind at ↑sound3(5), ⇨ speak your mind at ↑speak(7), ⇨ be in two minds at ↑two(9)
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ mind what you use to think and imagine things: My mind was full of big ideas. | I never know what's going on in her mind. | At the back of my mind I had the funny feeling that I’d met her somewhere before. | The same thoughts kept going through my mind and I couldn’t get to sleep.
▪ head the place where someone’s mind is – use this especially when talking about the thoughts that are in someone’s mind: I can't get him out of my head. | You need to get it into your head that you've done nothing wrong. | To keep myself calm, I counted to ten in my head. | She’s so quiet – you never quite know what’s going on inside her head (=what she is thinking).
▪ subconscious the part of your mind that influences the way you think or behave, even though you may not realize this is happening, and which makes you have dreams: She suddenly remembered a traumatic incident that had been buried deep in her subconscious. | During the daytime our conscious minds are active, but during the night the subconscious takes over.
▪ psyche formal someone’s mind, especially their feelings and attitudes, and the way these influence their character - used especially when talking about people's minds in general: The need for love is deeply buried in our psyche. | Freud has provided an account of the human psyche's stages of development. | The child is simply searching his psyche to find some past event that relates to his new experiences.
▪ mentality a particular way of thinking that a group of people have, especially one that you think is wrong or bad: I just don't understand the mentality of these people. | They all seem to have a kind of victim mentality, which makes them think that the world is permanently against them.
▪ the ego technical the part of your mind that gives you your sense of who you are - used especially in Freudian psychology: the rational world of the ego and the irrational world of the unconscious