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
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
Stevie Wonder, who played immediately after Rev. Williams' eulogy, seemed to address those comments, saying: "We need to make love great again because black lives do matter. Because all lives do matter."
From BBC • Sep. 4, 2018
But logic was how Emma could make love win.
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
