heartache

meaning in plain English

A deep, painful sadness in your chest because of something that happened or someone you lost.

Heartache = heart + ache, like feeling a sore chest when love hurts.

for example

After his dog died, he spent weeks dealing with heartache and couldn’t stop crying.

Imagine holding a heavy rock in your chest that won’t go away—no matter how much you try to push it out, it just sits there. That’s heartache: the weight of love or loss you can’t shake off, even when you want to.