make love
Idioms-
Court, engage in amorous caressing, as in Romance was in the air, and she hoped he would make love to her . [Late 1500s]
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Have sexual intercourse, as in They'd been making love well before they married . This usage today is the more common of the two. [Mid-1900s]
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.
But at least for now, there appear to be fewer people wondering what hope any of us have since #Klaygan couldn’t make love work.
From Salon • Apr. 30, 2026
Sea fog and cloud obscure any view of Taiwan, but still, they line up to take photographs at a strategically placed stone arch, using their arms to make love heart signs above their heads.
From BBC • Jan. 10, 2024
In “Jewish Matchmaking,” professional Cupid Aleeza Ben Shalom attempts to make love connections for Jewish singles in both the United States and Israel.
From Seattle Times • May 3, 2023
“We won’t pretend to make love after divorce,” Mr. Zhao wrote on Twitter.
From New York Times • Nov. 14, 2022
Frequently they went to the beach at night and did not make love, but just lay shivering between the blankets against each other to ward off the brisk, damp chill.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
