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• like
  like

  adjective

  of the same form, appearance, kind, character, amount, etc..
• -like
  -like

  a suffixal use of like in the formation of adjectives (childlike; lifelike ), sometimes hyphenated.

like

¹ American  

[lahyk] / laɪk /

adjective

liker, likest

1. of the same form, appearance, kind, character, amount, etc..

   I cannot remember a like instance.

2. corresponding or agreeing in general or in some noticeable respect; similar; analogous.

   drawing, painting, and like arts.

3. bearing resemblance.

4. Dialect. likely or probable.

   'Tis like that he's gone mad.

5. Dialect. about; almost ready, as to perform some action.

   The poor chap seemed like to run away.

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preposition

1. in like manner with; similarly to; in the manner characteristic of.

   He works like a beaver.

2. resembling (someone or something).

   He is just like his father. Your necklace is just like mine.

3. characteristic of.

   It would be like him to forget our appointment.

4. as if there is promise of; indicative of.

   It looks like rain.

5. as if someone or something gives promise of being.

   She looks like a good prospect for the job.

6. disposed or inclined to (usually preceded byfeel ).

   to feel like going to bed.

7. similar or comparable to.

   There is nothing like a cold drink of water when one is thirsty. What was he like?

8. (used correlatively to indicate similarity through relationship).

   like father, like son.

9. (used to establish an intensifying, often facetious, comparison): They ran like hell down the street.

   Last night I slept like a log.

   They ran like hell down the street.

10. as; such as.

    There are numerous hobbies you might enjoy, like photography or painting.

adverb

1. nearly; closely; approximately.

   The house is more like 40 than 20 years old.

2. Informal. likely or probably.

   Like enough he'll come with us. Like as not her leg is broken.

3. Nonstandard.

   1. as it were; in a way; somehow.

      I did it like wrong.

   2. to a degree; more or less.

      The guy was standing against the wall, looking very tough like.

conjunction

1. in the same way as; just as; as.

   It happened like you might expect it would.

2. as if.

   He acted like he was afraid. The car runs like new.

noun

1. a similar or comparable person or thing, or like persons or things; counterpart, match, or equal (usually preceded by a possessive adjective orthe ).

   No one has seen his like in a long time. Like attracts like.

2. kind; sort; type; ilk (usually preceded by a possessive adjective).

   I despise moochers and their like.

3. the like, something of a similar nature.

   They grow oranges, lemons, and the like.

interjection

1. Informal. (used in speech, often nonvolitionally or habitually, to preface a sentence, to fill a pause, to express uncertainty, or to intensify or neutralize a following adjective).

   So, like, why didn't you call me?

   The music was, like, really great, you know?

   I'm not going out—it's like 10 degrees out there!

idioms

1. like to, was on the verge of or came close to (doing something): Also liked to.

   The poor kid like to froze.

2. be like, to say, declare, think, or feel (usually used to introduce reported speech or thought).

   She's like, “I don't believe it,” and I'm like, “No, it's true!”

3. like anything, very much; extremely; with great intensity.

   He wanted like anything to win.

4. the like / likes of, someone or something similar to; the equal of.

   I've never seen the like of it anywhere.

5. something like, something approaching or approximating.

   It looked something like this.

like ² American  

[lahyk] / laɪk /

verb (used with object)

• likes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• liked,
  past participle,  past
• liking
  present participle

1. to take pleasure in; find agreeable or congenial.

   We all liked the concert.

2. to regard with favor; have a kindly or friendly feeling for (a person, group, etc.); find attractive.

   His parents like me and I like them.

3. to wish or prefer: I like my coffee with milk and sugar.

   I'd like a piece of cake, please.

   I like my coffee with milk and sugar.

4. Digital Technology. to indicate one’s enjoyment of, agreement with, or interest in (website content, especially in social media).

   Share your posts so your friends can like them or leave a comment.

   Like us on Facebook to get a free sample.

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verb (used without object)

• likes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• liked,
  past participle,  past
• liking
  present participle

1. to feel inclined; wish; want.

   We'll have lunch whenever you like.

2. Archaic. to suit the tastes or wishes; please.

noun

1. Usually likes the things a person likes.

   a long list of likes and dislikes.

2. (sometimes initial capital letter)

   1. an instance of indicating one’s liking of specific website content.

      I see my comment got lots of likes.

   2. a feature or option, usually a button, that enables this.

      I installed a Like on my blog so you can subscribe to updates.

adjective

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to a feature used to like specific website content.

   a Like button;

   like boxes.

idioms

1. would like. would.

-like ³ American  

1. a suffixal use of like in the formation of adjectives (childlike; lifelike ), sometimes hyphenated.

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like ¹ British  

/ laɪk /

adjective

1. (prenominal) similar; resembling

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preposition

1. similar to; similarly to; in the manner of

   acting like a maniac

   he's so like his father

2. used correlatively to express similarity in certain proverbs

   like mother, like daughter

3. such as

   there are lots of ways you might amuse yourself — like taking a long walk, for instance

adverb

1. a dialect word for likely

2. not_standard as it were: often used as a parenthetic filler

   there was this policeman just staring at us, like

3. informal used to introduce direct speech or nonverbal communication

   I was like, ‘You're kidding!’

conjunction

1. not_standard as though; as if

   you look like you've just seen a ghost

2. in the same way as; in the same way that

   she doesn't dance like you do

noun

1. the equal or counterpart of a person or thing, esp one respected or prized

   compare like with like

   her like will never be seen again

2. similar things

   dogs, foxes, and the like

3. people or things similar to (someone or something specified)

   we don't want the likes of you around here

like ² British  

/ laɪk /

verb

1. (tr) to find (something) enjoyable or agreeable or find it enjoyable or agreeable (to do something)

   he likes boxing

   he likes to hear music

2. (tr) to be fond of

3. (tr) to prefer or wish (to do something)

   we would like you to go

4. (tr) to feel towards; consider; regard

   how did she like it?

5. (intr) to feel disposed or inclined; choose; wish

6. archaic (tr) to please; agree with

   it likes me not to go

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noun

1. (usually plural) a favourable feeling, desire, preference, etc (esp in the phrase likes and dislikes )

-like ³ British  

suffix

1. resembling or similar to

   lifelike

   springlike

2. having the characteristics of

   childlike

   ladylike

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like More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing like

• (drop like a) hot potato
• (like a) fish out of water
• Dutch uncle, talk to like a
• and the like
• avoid like the plague
• come up (smelling like) roses
• crazy like a fox
• drink like a fish
• drop like flies
• eat like a bird
• feel like
• fit like a glove
• fly on the wall, would like to be a
• get on (like a house afire)
• go out (like a light)
• go over (like a lead balloon)
• grin like a Cheshire cat
• just like that
• know like a book
• live like a king
• look like a million dollars
• look like death
• look like something the cat dragged in
• look like the cat that ate the canary
• make out like a bandit
• manna from heaven, like
• mind like a steel trap
• need like a hole in the head
• no fool like an old fool
• no time like the present
• not anything like
• out like a light
• packed in like sardines
• sleep like a log
• something like
• spread like wildfire
• stick out (like a sore thumb)
• swear like a trooper
• take to (like a duck to water)
• tell it like it is
• treat like dirt
• turn up like a bad penny
• wail like a banshee
• watch like a hawk
• work like a beaver
• work like a charm

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Usage

Like1 as a conjunction meaning “as, in the same way as” ( Many shoppers study the food ads like brokers study market reports ) or “as if ” ( It looks like it will rain ) has been used for nearly 500 years and by many distinguished literary and intellectual figures. Since the mid-19th century there have been objections, often vehement, to these uses. Nevertheless, such uses are almost universal today in all but the most formal speech and writing. In extremely careful speech and in much formal writing, as, as if, and as though are more commonly used than like : The commanding general accepted full responsibility for the incident, as any professional soldier would. Many of the Greenwich Village bohemians lived as if (or as though ) there were no tomorrow. The strong strictures against the use of like as a conjunction have resulted in the occasional hypercorrect use of as as a preposition where like is idiomatic: She looks as a sympathetic person. Like meaning “as if ” is also standard in informal speech and writing with a small number of adjectives: The crew worked like crazy (or like mad ) to finish the job on time. See also as.

The use of like to mean such as was formerly thought to be undesirable in formal writing, but has now become acceptable. It was also thought that as rather than like should be used to mean in the same way that , but now both as and like are acceptable: they hunt and catch fish as/like their ancestors used to. The use of look like and seem like before a clause, although very common, is thought by many people to be incorrect or non-standard: it looks as though he won't come (not it looks like he won't come )

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• liker
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• liking
  present
• liked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• like
  simple
• likes
  simple
• have liked
  perfect
• has liked
  perfect
• am liking
  progressive
• are liking
  progressive
• is liking
  progressive
• have been liking
  perfect progressive
• has been liking
  perfect progressive

Past

• liked
  simple
• had liked
  perfect
• was liking
  progressive
• were liking
  progressive
• had been liking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will like
  simple
• will have liked
  perfect
• will be liking
  progressive
• will have been liking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of like¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English lic, lik, from Old Norse līkr; replacing Old English gelīc, cognate with Dutch gelijk, German gleich, Old Norse glīkr, Gothic galeiks “like,” literally, “of the same body or form”; see y-, lich

Origin of like²

First recorded before 900; Middle English verb liken, Old English līcian; cognate with Dutch lijken, Old Norse līka; from the same Germanic root as like ¹

Explanation

If you like your new shoes, you are glad you bought them. If you are like your mother, you are similar to her in more ways than you probably want to admit. The meaning of like has to do with being similar: maybe you sound just like your sister when you answer the phone. Or, in giving an example, like is the go-to word to introduce it: "We enjoy sports like hockey." Like also can mean "enjoy" or "favor." We can see this in the word's origin, the Old English lician, meaning “be pleasing.” The speech pattern of saying "like" incessantly doesn't, like, mean anything.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

like -like liker likest likes liked liking

Unearthing the spadefoot toad wasn’t the result of a targeted search — it happened by accident, much like many of history’s greatest finds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

Another branch of their work is planetary defence, which involves identifying threats like comets and asteroids.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

“This is like the best of all worlds for retirees,” says one investment specialist.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

The quintet, like Jaissle, have never experienced life in the Premier League before.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

The folds and ridges in the hemispheres are like cross streets, and medical students must memorize every one.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Known formally as The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, it has been described by critics as "cult -like".

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2022

Searches for Ms. Yue’s name were blocked on the Twitter -like Weibo microblogging platform.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2018

"There’s no road to where I was collecting. You had to take a plane and land on a grass strip on a mountain. It’s very Jurassic Park -like."

From Washington Post ● Jul. 27, 2016

But Andrew, who dreams of Buddy Rich -like greatness, is thrilled when Fletcher invites him in.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 7, 2014

The cub gave a low, warning ‘Uff!’ -like his mother used to when she wanted them back in the Den now.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Hayes explained that this type of segmentation could be used to develop tailored products that account for the specific "sour liker" taste profile.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 29, 2024

But I was a very active liker of “A Ghost Story,” which, as with “The Green Knight,” seems to unfold in some eerie netherworld between life and death.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2021

And twice that morning, reporters asked him if he himself was the liker.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 12, 2017

He’s not doing anything inappropriate or otherwise creepy, and he’s not sending you inappropriate messages—he’s just an inveterate liker.

From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2016

"How can she relish gold, with a heart in her bosom liker lead?"

From The Cloister and the Hearth A Tale of the Middle Ages by Reade, Charles

Mercy, Shakespeare wrote, "Earthly power doth then show likest God's/ When mercy seasons justice."

From Time ● Jan. 17, 2012

From his eyes gleams “a luster unlovely, likest to fire.”

From Anglo-Saxon Grammar and Exercise Book with Inflections, Syntax, Selections for Reading, and Glossary by Smith, C. Alphonso (Charles Alphonso)

"Tha likest me, doesna ta?" he asked softly.

From The White Peacock by Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

Dwell in some idle brain, 5 And fancies fond with gaudy shapes possess, As thick and numberless As the gay motes that people the sun-beams, Or likest hovering dreams, The fickle pensioners of Morpheus’ train.

From Minor Poems by Milton by Milton, John

The golden sun in splendor likest Heaven Allured his eye.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Webster, Noah

The NAV increase was driven by improvements in the likes of Intel.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

Nauru and the Cook Islands are among world leaders in seabed mining exploration, while the likes of Samoa, Fiji and Palau have called for a moratorium on the industry.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Dividends are pleasing because everyone likes getting money.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

“With Deborah, she likes to go big and Madison Square Garden is big,” adds Statsky.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

Not out there, where I would have to face the likes of Miss Buckner and Mr. Haber.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Upstart Holdings said artificial-intelligence enhancements helped reaccelerate growth in its core personal-lending business during the latest quarter — and investors liked what they saw.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

“It was just this six-week interlude of time when people liked each other and people were having fun together,” Schloessman said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

The “do-your-own-research” crowd had felt their power, and they liked it.

From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026

Others liked the idea of a more visible leader for the city who could be held to account for what went right or wrong.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

"You liked the school in Ikuma?" he asked.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

Joked McDaniel: “For fantasy owners out there, if you’re not liking your output, you have Max to blame.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Kennedy ended up liking the look more than the open-air setup they had planned.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

The Emmy-winning journalist said she suspected early on that Jeff Fager, the “60 Minutes” executive producer at the time, didn’t take a liking to her.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

She called him "the undertaker" because of his liking for dark, sombre suits.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

Should I be sorry for not liking him?

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

Related Words

• admire
• appreciate
• go for
• love