heartbeat

Meanings

• the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart
• a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
• an animating or vital unifying force
  • "New York is the commercial heartbeat of America"

Synonyms

beat, blink of an eye, flash, instant, jiffy, New York minute, pulsation, pulse, split second, trice, twinkling, wink