in a heartbeat

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Prepositional phrase

in a heartbeat

1. (idiomatic) Without hesitation or reservation; at once.
   • 1989 August 6, Claudia H. Deutsch, “Colgate's Next Trick: Controlling the Chaos”, in New York Times, retrieved 24 June 2011:

     “Colgate would sell Princess House in a heartbeat, if it could find a buyer,” said Bonita Austin.

   • 2001 May 22, Kyle Woodlief, “Sharp-shooting Swede Sjostrom shines”, in USA Today, retrieved 24 June 2011:

     Sjostrom's game is predicated on strong skating. He accelerates in a heartbeat with a lightning quick stride and changes direction smoothly.

   • 2006 July 12, Steven Berlin Johnson, “Don't Fear the Digital”, in Time:

     [I]f I had to do away with either handwriting or typing for the rest of my life, I'd give up handwriting in a heartbeat.

   • 2023 April 21, John Poulos, “Dominion’s C.E.O.: Why We Settled the Lawsuit Against Fox News”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     If we could, we would trade it all in a heartbeat to go back in time to get our reputation back.

   • 2023 July 22, Barbara Speed, “‘We could soon see a Jane Austen-style marriage market’: how the housing crisis is turning modern dating on its head”, in The Guardian‎^[2], →ISSN:

     “He’s the kind of person who would pick up the bill in a heartbeat,” she says.