a card or message, usually amatory or sentimental but sometimes satirical or comical, or a token or gift sent by one person to another on Valentine's Day, sometimes anonymously.
a sweetheart chosen or greeted on this day.
a written or other artistic work, message, token, etc., expressing affection for something or someone.
His photographic essay is a valentine to Paris.
Saint, died a.d. c270, Christian martyr at Rome.
Also pope a.d. 827.
a male given name: from a Latin word meaning “strong.”
a card or gift expressing love or affection, sent, often anonymously, to one's sweetheart or satirically to a friend, on Saint Valentine's Day
a sweetheart selected for such a greeting
What is a valentine? A valentine is a card or gift given to someone for the occasion of Valentine’s Day, a holiday on February 14 that’s popularly observed as a day to celebrate love, especially by those in romantic relationships. Valentines are often intended as a declaration of love, but they can also be given as a gesture of friendship. Valentines are commonly exchanged by romantic partners, or given by someone who wants to show affection to or romantic interest in the recipient. But they can also be exchanged by family members and friends—children might make valentines for their parents and school students sometimes give valentines to all of their fellow classmates, for example. The classic version of a valentine is a card shaped like a heart, but they can come in many forms. Valentine messages can be serious or humorous or silly. The word valentine can also refer to the person to whom a valentine is given (or the person who gives it), or to a person’s date or romantic partner on Valentine’s Day. Asking someone to be your valentine typically conveys romantic interest—it most commonly means you want them to be your date for Valentine’s Day. However, this is not always the case. The term Valentine’s (or Valentines) is a short way of referring to Valentine’s Day, as in Do you have plans for Valentine’s yet?Valentine is also the name of a Christian saint whose feast day is observed on February 14. The name of Valentine’s Day can be traced back to this observance, though it may have also been influenced by another saint named Valentine. Example: I always send valentines anonymously—I just want to make people happy, without any obligation.
1400–50; late Middle English, after the feast of Saint Valentine
A valentine is a sweetheart: specifically, someone who receives a greeting or attention on Valentine's Day. There are many words for someone you like in a romantic way, such as sweetie, main squeeze, boyfriend, girlfriend, significant other, and special someone. Another is valentine, though you'll mainly hear this word on Valentine's Day: February 14. Asking "Will you be my valentine?" is like asking "Will you go out with me?" and saying "I like you." Sending a card is a common way to let someone know you want to be their valentine.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Meanwhile, Buckingham’s virtuosic guitar comes into its own on “Stephanie,” his instrumental valentine to Nicks, along with “Crystal” and “Without a Leg to Stand On.”
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2025
Instead, a good 50% of the tracks retreat to safer ground - slowly strummed songs of devotion, packed with valentine card sentiments.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2025
Like the letter itself, the score is part valentine, part elegy—and John put his heart into it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2025
Eli Roth’s holiday slasher began as a fake trailer, sandwiched between Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s segments of the 2007 exploitation movie valentine “Grindhouse.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 20, 2024
And the valentine appeared again on the earth.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Valentine Nesbit “tabulated the expenses” of debtors who appeared in his court in the 1930s, “subtracted them from the debtor’s wages,” and paid the rest to creditors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
"We expect governments to spend more to support households and businesses", Valentine Ainouz, head of rates at the Amundi Investment Institute, told AFP.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
See what remains today: In Valentine, Ariz., the Truxton Canyon Training School, where Indigenous children were forcibly sent for assimilation beginning in 1903, still stands near the highway, marked by a small, impermanent memorial.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
“Both companies were founded to support great artistry and with a deep sense of responsibility to the performers, songwriters, and playwrights we serve,” Bob Valentine, the company’s new chief executive, said in the statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
After a bit, he decided that he should get up, just in case Old Charlie Valentine picked today to take his ancient Cadillac for a spin.
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
Feb. 14 was just a few days away, so the first action Rickman and other students took was delivering hundreds of valentines to the governor, expressing their support for university employees.
From Slate ● Feb. 19, 2025
In the far corner of the room, arts and crafts to make valentines were laid out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2025
Americans do spend a lot on their valentines.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2024
These valentines were not of the handmade or heartfelt variety, but rather bought in bulk from CVS, from the red-cellophane aisle, on the shelf next to the seasonal Whitman’s Samplers and conversation hearts.
From New York Times ● Feb. 10, 2024
It has to be, or else why would you have kept making valentines, even after BrettBradBrandon called you a loser?
From "P.S. I Miss You" by Jen Petro-Roy
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.
