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Synonyms

lovemaking

American  
[luhv-mey-king] / ˈlʌvˌmeɪ kɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act of courting or wooing.

  2. sexual activity.


lovemaking British  
/ ˈlʌvˌmeɪkɪŋ /

noun

  1. sexual play and activity between lovers, esp including sexual intercourse

  2. an archaic word for courtship

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of lovemaking

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at love, making

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.

His performance feels awkward at first—like Jason Biggs or Will Ferrell fretting about lovemaking and analysts in a late-era Woody Allen film—but it becomes more convincing as the play progresses, as does the play itself.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 5, 2018

And the puns are leaden: a Rolls-Royce is a "flatus symbol," lovemaking is a "deathscapade," and a gourmet ponders whether there is "life beyond the gravy."

From Time Magazine Archive

Boys and girls read Lorna Doone; but the girls skip all the fighting, the boys all the lovemaking.

From Time Magazine Archive

Most of the tragedies in the novel result not from too much lovemaking but too much getting even.

From Time Magazine Archive

Equally substantial and corporeal, eating, drinking, lovemaking, and fighting are the divine folk of the síd or of Elysium, or the gods as they are represented in the texts.

From The Religion of the Ancient Celts by MacCulloch, J. A.

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