idiom · informal
wear your heart on your sleeve
UK/weə jɔː hɑːt ɒn jɔː sliːv/US/wer jʊr hɑrt ɑn jʊr sliːv/wear your HEART on your SLEEVE
to show your emotions openly so that other people can easily know how you feel
Examples
“He's the sort of person who wears his heart on his sleeve, so you always know when he's upset.”
“In interviews she tended to wear her heart on her sleeve, which made her seem sincere.”
“Try not to wear your heart on your sleeve when negotiating a contract.”
Band 8 sentence
“Although she wears her heart on her sleeve, that honesty often wins people's trust in professional contexts.”
Collocations
- wear your heart on your sleeve in public
- tend to wear your heart on your sleeve
Word family
Common mistakes
He wears his heart on sleeve.→He wears his heart on his sleeve.
She wear her heart on her sleeve.→She wears her heart on her sleeve.
Say it for a higher band
5show your feelings→6be an open book→7+wear your heart on your sleeve
Synonyms
be an open book
Easily confused
keep one's feelings to oneself
“He usually keeps his feelings to himself, so it's hard to tell when he's bothered.”
Related words
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In Relationships
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