have the heart

verb

To have the capacity (to do something); to be able to bring oneself to do something, especially something cruel or hardhearted.

“I didn't have the heart to tell him we wouldn't ever come back to see him.”

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbhave the heart (third-person singular simple present has the heart, present participle having the heart, simple past and past participle had the heart)

present singular third person has the heart · participle present having the heart · participle past had the heart · past had the heart

  1. To have the capacity (to do something); to be able to bring oneself to do something, especially something cruel or hardhearted.

    I didn't have the heart to tell him we wouldn't ever come back to see him.

    1 more example

    My heroes have the heart to lose their lives out on the limb And all I remember is thinking "I want to be like them"

    2006, “Crazy”, in St. Elsewhere, performed by Gnars Barkley

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
bring oneself to

Translations

Danish nænne
  • nænnehave the capacity for
German das Herz haben
  • das Herz habenhave the capacity for
Romanian se îndura
  • se îndurahave the capacity for
Cite this entry
APA

have the heart. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20the%20heart

MLA

“have the heart.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20the%20heart. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “have the heart,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20the%20heart.

Source: have the heart on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.