for the love of

Idioms  

1. For the sake of, in consideration of. For example, She signed up for all these volunteer jobs for the love of praise . [c. 1200]

2. . 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.

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Example Sentences

Jay says the Buzzing Pop team, which consists of five people, "do get paid", but he says they mostly do it "for the love of the game" and juggle the work with other jobs.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

“Everyone that’s involved is here for the love of animals and the passion and wanting to leave the planet a better place than we have made it,” said Sclimenti, the zoo’s mammal curator.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 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

"I run the pub for the love of it and for the fact I'm a village girl," she says.

From BBC • Jul. 11, 2025

“Good night, Ophelia. I promise, there will come a time when your Aunt Sarah and I will teach you more about handling haints. For now, please, for the love of all, leave those ghosts be.”

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland