not have the heart to do something

not have the heart to do something
not have the heart (to (do something)) to lack the desire or strength to do something.

I didn't have the heart to tell him his injury would prevent him from playing football.

Usage notes: sometimes used in the form have the heart to do something - be able to do something:

How could we have the heart to disappoint Mom?

Related vocabulary: not have the stomach for something

New idioms dictionary. 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • not have the heart to — not have the heart (to (do something)) to lack the desire or strength to do something. I didn t have the heart to tell him his injury would prevent him from playing football. Usage notes: sometimes used in the form have the heart to do something… …   New idioms dictionary

  • not have the heart — (to (do something)) to lack the desire or strength to do something. I didn t have the heart to tell him his injury would prevent him from playing football. Usage notes: sometimes used in the form have the heart to do something be able to do… …   New idioms dictionary

  • not have the stomach for something — not have the stomach (for (something)) to not feel strong or brave enough to do something unpleasant. The soldiers did not have the stomach for another fight. Usage notes: sometimes used in the form not have the stomach to do something: I don t… …   New idioms dictionary

  • not have the stomach for — not have the stomach (for (something)) to not feel strong or brave enough to do something unpleasant. The soldiers did not have the stomach for another fight. Usage notes: sometimes used in the form not have the stomach to do something: I don t… …   New idioms dictionary

  • not have the stomach — (for (something)) to not feel strong or brave enough to do something unpleasant. The soldiers did not have the stomach for another fight. Usage notes: sometimes used in the form not have the stomach to do something: I don t think I ve got the… …   New idioms dictionary

  • heart — [ hart ] noun *** ▸ 1 organ that pumps blood ▸ 2 area of chest with heart ▸ 3 your feelings ▸ 4 inner central part ▸ 5 shape representing love ▸ 6 suit of playing cards ▸ 7 most important part ▸ + PHRASES 1. ) count the organ in your chest that… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • heart — W1S1 [ha:t US ha:rt] n ↑artery, ↑brain, ↑fatty, ↑tissue, ↑heart, ↑kidney, ↑intestine, ↑intestine2, ↑small, ↑large, ↑liver, ↑lung, ↑muscles, ↑stoma …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • The Heart of a Goof — 1st edition (UK) The Heart of a Goof is a collection of nine short stories by English comic writer P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published in the United Kingdom on April 15, 1926 by Herbert Jenkins, and in the United States on March 4, 1927 by… …   Wikipedia

  • heart — [[t]hɑ͟ː(r)t[/t]] ♦♦ hearts 1) N COUNT Your heart is the organ in your chest that pumps the blood around your body. People also use heart to refer to the area of their chest that is closest to their heart. The bullet had passed less than an inch… …   English dictionary

  • heart — /hahrt/, n. 1. Anat. a hollow, pumplike organ of blood circulation, composed mainly of rhythmically contractile smooth muscle, located in the chest between the lungs and slightly to the left and consisting of four chambers: a right atrium that… …   Universalium

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