Synonyms

puppy love

American

noun

temporary infatuation of a boy or girl for another person.

puppy love British

noun

another term for calf love

"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

puppy love Idioms

Also, calf love. Adolescent love or infatuation, especially one that is not expected to last, as in Beth is besotted with him, but we think it's just puppy love, or He's got a bad case of calf love. [First half of 1800s]

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.

The same month she and DDG sparked pregnancy rumors, Halle said her relationship with the rapper was more than just puppy love.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 7, 2024

“Show a little puppy love to your pet and take it out of the carrying case,” Farbstein said.

From Washington Post • Feb. 24, 2023

The letter is remarkable because the Nobel Literature Prize laureate author doesn’t simply brush off his then 14-year-old son Thomas’ feelings as childish puppy love.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 13, 2022

It turns out that what a lot of folks want right now isn’t a commemoration of queer pain, but a romance about puppy love.

From New York Times • Jun. 24, 2022

I suppose there’s A time in practically every young boy’s life when he’s affected by that wonderful disease of puppy love.

From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023