lover

¹

[luhv-er]

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

[luhv-er]

noun

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

lover

/ 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

3. 1. someone who loves a specified person or thing

      a lover of music

   2. ( in combination )

      a music-lover

      a cat-lover

Other Word Forms

• loverless adjective
• loverlike adjective
• nonlover noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of lover¹

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

Example Sentences

Equihua is reimagining the frumpy image of the adult pajama, afterthought cotton shirts and old worn-in lover’s shorts that would never see the light of day.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Prior to “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” most were willing to brush clumps of cigarette ash off of cardigan sweaters and, at most, bail a lover out of jail.

Read more on Salon

His older brother, lover of books, has successfully turned the page.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Far from the madding crowd, not to mention from the alluring presence of his MI6 handler and former lover, Faith Green, Gabriel works away in his cottage on a travel book about the world’s rivers.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

People gossiped that Lynn and I were lovers, never mind we were both married with kids.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• admirer 
• boyfriend 
• companion 
• girlfriend 
• suitor 
• sweetheart