of the same form, appearance, kind, character, amount, etc..
I cannot remember a like instance.
corresponding or agreeing in general or in some noticeable respect; similar; analogous.
drawing, painting, and like arts.
bearing resemblance.
Dialect. likely or probable.
'Tis like that he's gone mad.
Dialect. about; almost ready, as to perform some action.
The poor chap seemed like to run away.
in like manner with; similarly to; in the manner characteristic of.
He works like a beaver.
resembling (someone or something).
He is just like his father. Your necklace is just like mine.
characteristic of.
It would be like him to forget our appointment.
as if there is promise of; indicative of.
It looks like rain.
as if someone or something gives promise of being.
She looks like a good prospect for the job.
disposed or inclined to (usually preceded byfeel ).
to feel like going to bed.
similar or comparable to.
There is nothing like a cold drink of water when one is thirsty. What was he like?
(used correlatively to indicate similarity through relationship).
like father, like son.
(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.
as; such as.
There are numerous hobbies you might enjoy, like photography or painting.
nearly; closely; approximately.
The house is more like 40 than 20 years old.
Informal. likely or probably.
Like enough he'll come with us. Like as not her leg is broken.
Nonstandard.
as it were; in a way; somehow.
I did it like wrong.
to a degree; more or less.
The guy was standing against the wall, looking very tough like.
in the same way as; just as; as.
It happened like you might expect it would.
as if.
He acted like he was afraid. The car runs like new.
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.
kind; sort; type; ilk (usually preceded by a possessive adjective).
I despise moochers and their like.
the like, something of a similar nature.
They grow oranges, lemons, and the like.
like to, was on the verge of or came close to (doing something): Also liked to.
The poor kid like to froze.
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!”
like anything, very much; extremely; with great intensity.
He wanted like anything to win.
the like / likes of, someone or something similar to; the equal of.
I've never seen the like of it anywhere.
something like, something approaching or approximating.
It looked something like this.
to take pleasure in; find agreeable or congenial.
We all liked the concert.
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.
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.
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.
Usually likes the things a person likes.
a long list of likes and dislikes.
(sometimes initial capital letter)
an instance of indicating one’s liking of specific website content.
I see my comment got lots of likes.
a feature or option, usually a button, that enables this.
I installed a Like on my blog so you can subscribe to updates.
similar to; similarly to; in the manner of
acting like a maniac
he's so like his father
used correlatively to express similarity in certain proverbs
like mother, like daughter
such as
there are lots of ways you might amuse yourself — like taking a long walk, for instance
a dialect word for likely
not_standard as it were: often used as a parenthetic filler
there was this policeman just staring at us, like
informal used to introduce direct speech or nonverbal communication
I was like, ‘You're kidding!’
not_standard as though; as if
you look like you've just seen a ghost
in the same way as; in the same way that
she doesn't dance like you do
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
similar things
dogs, foxes, and the like
people or things similar to (someone or something specified)
we don't want the likes of you around here
(tr) to find (something) enjoyable or agreeable or find it enjoyable or agreeable (to do something)
he likes boxing
he likes to hear music
(tr) to be fond of
(tr) to prefer or wish (to do something)
we would like you to go
(tr) to feel towards; consider; regard
how did she like it?
(intr) to feel disposed or inclined; choose; wish
archaic (tr) to please; agree with
it likes me not to go
resembling or similar to
lifelike
springlike
having the characteristics of
childlike
ladylike
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 )
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
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
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s more like a schematic of a confounding investigation and a sympathetic survey of a devastated emotional landscape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
"It seems like one long heatwave this summer."
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
And, just incidentally, are all high-profile investigations of the future destined to be fodder for the kind of intrusive online “detectives” who were drawn to the city of Moscow like flies to an abattoir?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Hamilton said: "There were definitely moments that I was like: 'Sheesh, maybe it is true that, you know, when you get to a certain point, you lose it.'"
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
But February 20 comes and goes like any other day.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Chinese descended on the official accounts of the Canadian and U.S. embassies on the Twitter -like service Weibo, posting thousands of angry comments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 7, 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
It is likely, though, that both quangos reporting on transport in the North will concentrate their efforts of solutions which bring quick improvement for travellers -like electrifying the Leeds-Manchester route and putting on extra carriages.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2016
And usually, the event is already sold out or in a far-off location -like Justin Timberlake’s upcoming Aug. 24 concert in Iceland.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 1, 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
Mary Jo is a decisive and unafraid liker of what she likes, and disliker of what she does not.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 28, 2022
Some context: Wesley Britt, the tweet liker, is married to Katie Britt, who is running against several other Republicans in the Alabama primary for this year’s midterm elections.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2022
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
"I am liker to offer battle than accept it, O'Donnell."
From Nuala O'Malley by Bedford-Jones, H.
Mercy, Shakespeare wrote, "Earthly power doth then show likest God's/ When mercy seasons justice."
From Time ● Jan. 17, 2012
If thou likest to bring thy wife to Tarnghyll, where we are sheltering for the present, she and the little ones will be much safer, and thy wife Eadburgh will be useful to Lady Ethel.
From The Last of the Vikings by Bowling, John
Nature is always mysterious and secret in the use of her means; and art is always likest her when it is most inexplicable.
From Modern Painters Volume I (of V) by Ruskin, John
Earthly power doth then show likest gods, When mercy seasons justice.
From Noble Deeds of American Women With Biographical Sketches of Some of the More Prominent by Clement, J. (Jesse)
Why then do we not recognize this the chief homogenic substance of the earth, likest of substances to its inner nature and closest allied to its very marrow?
From On the magnet, magnetick bodies also, and on the great magnet the earth a new physiology, demonstrated by many arguments & experiments by Gilbert, William
PayPal has to compete with the likes of Apple Pay, which saw growing adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic era.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Results are expected this week and next from the likes of SK hynix, Samsung Electronics and Japanese tech investment vehicle SoftBank Group.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Add into the mix announcements that Chinese AI rivals have new, free models, allegedly built off the learnings of the expensive ones developed by the likes of Anthropic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
With the likes of the United States, China and major European nations not part of the Commonwealths, some athletes favour other, more competitive events.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
I clean up okay, as every adult likes to say when a kid puts in the slightest effort.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
“Meet my fiancé,” Beer wrote, much to the delight of the 1.5 million people who liked the post within the first hour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The physicists liked physical models, and economists liked linear models, so machine learning didn’t fit cleanly into either camp and was viewed with suspicion.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Padilla, who describes himself as a natural introvert, says he liked the Lakehouse session on networking, something the firm says will be even more important for younger employees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Others, like local historian Florian Kotanko, say they would have liked to have seen the Lebenshilfe charity return.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
“I guess I didn’t realize it was going to be a romance, but you liked it, right?”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
OpenAI’s announcement seemed a little too on the nose for some in the tech industry already suspicious of its efforts to shape regulations to its liking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Bake until the whites are set and the yolks are cooked to your liking.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
At one point his security guards moved in protectively as the scrum moved a little too close for their liking, but the King survived the close encounter unharmed.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Don’t skip dessert, either, and if you’re a coffee drinker, order the Lao coffee, served with condensed milk and a sugar cube on the side so you can customize the sweetness to your liking.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
“None of that has anything to do with me liking Elliot. I’m not trying to achieve a goal here,” Jenna said.
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
