for the love of

Idioms

For the sake of, in consideration of. For example, She signed up for all these volunteer jobs for the love of praise . [c. 1200]
. An exclamation of surprise, exasperation, or some similar feeling, as in For the love of Pete, give me the money! James Joyce used this idiom in Ulysses (1922): “For the love of Mike listen to him.” Pete and Mike are euphemisms for God. [Early 1900s] Also see for the sake of , def. 3.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"I do it for the love of it, I'm not doing it for income right now, unfortunately," added Scott.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

“Read between the lines. People don’t come out of retirement for the love of the game at damn near 50. That’s not how boxing works,” Smith wrote.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

He added: "I always remembered that I didn't get into cooking for Michelin. I got into it for the love of food and the love of pleasing people."

From BBC • Oct. 21, 2025

This Halloween, for the love of America—please turn on the porch light, go door-to-door, open your own.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025

“Oh, for the love of God,” I say.

From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023