love
a strong feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, such as for a parent, child, friend, or pet: He bent and kissed his newborn daughter on the brow, his heart full of love and gratitude.
a profoundly tender, passionate affection, often mingled with sexual desire, for another person: The couple’s ardent love for each other, poured out in these love letters, survived their wartime separation.
sexual passion or desire.
active, self-giving concern for the well-being of others: Love of one's neighbor is the greatest virtue.What this suffering world needs is more love.
a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart: I long to be with you, my love.He was my first and only love.
(used as a term of endearment, affection, or the like): Would you like to see a movie, love?
a love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour: It's the story of her many loves, told through the eyes of a journalist.
Love, a personification of sexual affection, as Eros or Cupid.
strong enthusiasm or liking for anything: His huge personal library testified to his love of books.
a thing for which one has a strong enthusiasm or liking: The theater was her great love.
Religion. the benevolent affection and deep compassion of God for all creatures, or the reverent devotion returned from them to God.
Chiefly Tennis. a score of zero; nothing.
a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter L.
to have a warm personal attachment to or deep affection for: All her students love her.I fuss over you, I know, but I love you and I want you to be safe.
to have a profoundly tender, passionate affection, often mingled with sexual desire, for (another person).
to feel a strong liking for or take great pleasure in; enjoy actively and with enthusiasm: I love music.He's loving his new job.
to feel or show active, self-giving concern for: Love your neighbor—even the one you don’t like.
to feel or express reverent devotion toward; adore.
to need or require; benefit greatly from: Plants love sunlight.
to have sexual intercourse with.
to embrace and kiss (someone), as a lover.
to have love or affection for another person; be in love: Those who have never loved will not understand what I am saying.
love up, to hug and cuddle: She loves that little guy up every chance she gets.
Idioms about love
for love,
out of devotion, affection, liking, or enjoyment.
without compensation: He volunteered at the animal shelter for love.
for the love of, in consideration of; for the sake of: For the love of mercy, stop that noise!
in love, infused with or feeling deep affection or passion: He was a youth always in love.
in love with, feeling deep affection or passion for (a person, idea, occupation, etc.); enamored of: I was in love with the girl next door.Anyone spending that many hours here without pay must be in love with their work!
make love,
to engage in sexual activity.
to embrace and kiss as lovers.
Origin of love
1Other words for love
Opposites for love
1, 2 | hatred, dislike |
15, 16 | detest, hate |
Other words from love
- out·love, verb (used with object), out·loved, out·lov·ing.
- o·ver·love, verb, o·ver·loved, o·ver·lov·ing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use love in a sentence
He loves the fact that, like on Grindr, users can identify as transgender.
Although the NFL party animal loves flaunting his washboard abs, he seems more fratboy than Fabio.
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits | Emily Shire | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTBetrayal…you can hear it…betraying the thing he loves for a cheap bit of film publicity.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile | Robert Ward | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThe would-be pope killer loves to be in front of the cameras, and the press in Italy is happy to oblige.
Pope-Shooter Ali Agca’s Very Weird Vatican Visit | Barbie Latza Nadeau | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTCongress loves to be Scroogey when it comes to helping the poor at Christmastime.
To GOP Congress, as Usual, It’s Welfare on the Chopping Block | Monica Potts | December 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
She loves me ardently; and her power with my father, except on one point, is almost omnipotent.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane PorterTapping the trees for tuba is dangerous work, but Alila, you know, loves danger.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin | Mary Hazelton WadeAlack, I cannot sleep a wink myself, so as sorrow loves sympathy, I came to have a chat with you.
The World Before Them | Susanna MoodieTwo of the fathers were Mars and Anchises; and there are several other legends about the loves of Venus.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems | Geoffrey ChaucerShe does not love me but she loves a young man who not only has not the learning of the dwarfs, but no other learning either.
Honey-Bee | Anatole France
British Dictionary definitions for love
/ (lʌv) /
(tr) to have a great attachment to and affection for
(tr) to have passionate desire, longing, and feelings for
(tr) to like or desire (to do something) very much
(tr) to make love to
(intr) to be in love
an intense emotion of affection, warmth, fondness, and regard towards a person or thing
(as modifier): love song; love story
a deep feeling of sexual attraction and desire
wholehearted liking for or pleasure in something
Christianity
God's benevolent attitude towards man
man's attitude of reverent devotion towards God
Also: my love a beloved person: used esp as an endearment
British informal a term of address, esp but not necessarily for a person regarded as likable
(in tennis, squash, etc) a score of zero
fall in love to become in love
for love without payment
for love or money (used with a negative) in any circumstances: I wouldn't eat a snail for love or money
for the love of for the sake of
in love in a state of strong emotional attachment and usually sexual attraction
make love
to have sexual intercourse (with)
archaic to engage in courtship (with)
Origin of love
1Other words from love
- Related adjective: amatory
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 Idioms and Phrases with love
In addition to the idioms beginning with love
- love affair
- love at first sight
also see:
- all's fair in love and war
- course of true love
- fall in love
- for the love of
- labor of love
- make love
- misery loves company
- no love lost
- not for love or money
- puppy love
- somebody up there loves me
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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