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Synonyms

lover

1 American  
[luhv-er] / ˈlʌv ər /

noun

  1. a person who is in love with another.

  2. a person who has a sexual or romantic relationship with another.

  3. a person with whom one conducts an extramarital sexual affair.

  4. a person who has a strong enjoyment or liking for something, as specified.

    a lover of music.
    Synonyms:
    fan, enthusiast, devotee

  5. a person who loves, especially a person who has or shows a warm and general affectionate regard for others.

    a lover of humankind.
Lover 2 American  
[luhv-er] / ˈlʌv ər /

noun

  1. Samuel, 1797–1868, Irish novelist, painter, and songwriter.

lover British  
/ ˈlʌvə /

noun

  1. a person, now esp a man, who has an extramarital or premarital sexual relationship with another person

  2. (often plural) either of the two people involved in a love affair

    1. someone who loves a specified person or thing

      a lover of music

    2. ( in combination )

      a music-lover

      a cat-lover
"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

Other Word Forms

  • loverless adjective
  • loverlike adjective
  • nonlover noun

Etymology

Origin of lover

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English; love + -er 1

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.

She typically acts unbothered, but on this vulnerable track, she sheds a little light on her lover girl personality as she romanticizes all the ways she wants to build a life with a new man.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

On the following “Dopamine,” she frames her emotional experiences in purely biological terms, “tripping on our chemistry” with a new lover as she wonders if the feeling can be trusted.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

The latest original film from Disney's Pixar tells the story of a young animal lover who uses technology to transfer her consciousness into a robotic beaver so she can better communicate and protect wildlife.

From Barron's • Mar. 22, 2026

A lover of good food, he wrote and illustrated a cartoon cookery strip for the Daily Express, which transferred to The Observer in 1962.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

She focused her thoughts on her lost lover.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

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.