break someone's heart

From Middle English breke (my) harte.

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

break someone's heart (third-person singular simple present breaks someone's heart, present participle breaking someone's heart, simple past broke someone's heart, past participle broken someone's heart)

1. (idiomatic) To cause a person to feel grief, disappointment, or sadness.
   • 1976, Elton John, “Don't Go Breaking My Heart”, performed by Elton John ft. Kiki Dee:

     Don't go breaking my heart / I couldn't if I tried / Honey if I get restless / Baby you're not that kind

   • 2003 February 7, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, directed by David Dobkin, Shanghai Knights, spoken by Chon Wang (Jackie Chan):

     If you break her heart, I'll break your legs.

   • 2010, “Baby”, performed by Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris:

     "We're just friends," what are you sayin'? / Said "there's another," and looked right in my eyes / My first love broke my heart for the first time

   • 2020, Dua Lipa, Ali Tamposi, Stefan Johnson, Jordan K. Johnson, Andrew Watt, Andrew Farriss, Michael Hutchence, “Break My Heart”, in Future Nostalgia‎^[1], performed by Dua Lipa:

     Oh no, I was doin' better alone / But when you said "Hello" / I know that was the end of it all / I should've stayed at home / 'Cause now there ain't no letting you go / Am I falling in love / With the one that could break my heart?

• heartbreak (noun), heartbreaker (noun)
• heartbreaking (adjective) (of an agent), heartbroken (adjective) (of a patient)
• broken heart (noun), brokenhearted (adjective), brokenheartedly (adverb), brokenheartedness (noun)

• bless someone's heart
• win someone's heart