pour one's heart out

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

pour one's heart out

1. (intransitive, idiomatic) To express one's innermost thoughts or feelings.
   • 1852, William Makepeace Thackeray, The History of Henry Esmond, Esq., ch. 29:

     He poured his heart out to them, so as he never could in any other company, where he hath generally passed for being moody, or supercilious and silent.

   • 1860, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Marble Faun, ch. 7:

     [S]he would be all the better for pouring her heart out freely, and would be glad to do it, if she were sure of sympathy

   • 1994, Rolling Stones, Out of Tears:

     And I just can't pour my heart out, to another living thing, I'm a whisper, I'm a shadow, but I'm standing up to sing.

   • 2009 July 2, "Our Favorite Songs: General Colin Powell," Time:

     The spirited lyrics, the dancing and the joy of watching these five handsome, clean-cut youngsters pouring their hearts out moved me then and moves me now.

Translations

To express one's innermost thoughts or feelings

• French: s'épancher (fr)
• German: sein Herz ausschütten

• Italian: aprire il proprio cuore, mettere a nudo il proprio animo
• Russian: излить душу (ru) (izlitʹ dušu) (pour one's soul out)

See also

• bare one's soul

Anagrams

• pour out one's heart