Love Definition & Meaning

American

British

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Usage

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms love American [luhv] / lʌv /

noun

1. 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.

   Synonyms: friendliness, regard, inclination, liking Antonyms: dislike, hatred

2. 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.

   Synonyms: adoration, passion, warmth, predilection, fondness, tenderness Antonyms: dislike, hatred

3. sexual passion or desire.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. (used as a term of endearment, affection, or the like).

   Would you like to see a movie, love?

7. a love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour.

   It's the story of her many loves, told through the eyes of a journalist.

8. sexual intercourse; copulation.

9. Love, a personification of sexual affection, as Eros or Cupid.

10. strong enthusiasm or liking for anything.

    His huge personal library testified to his love of books.

11. a thing for which one has a strong enthusiasm or liking.

    The theater was her great love.

12. Religion. the benevolent affection and deep compassion of God for all creatures, or the reverent devotion returned from them to God.

13. Chiefly Tennis. a score of zero; nothing.

14. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter L.

verb (used with object)

loved, loving

1. 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.

   Synonyms: like Antonyms: detest, hate

2. to have a profoundly tender, passionate affection, often mingled with sexual desire, for (another person).

   Synonyms: worship, adulate, adore Antonyms: hate, detest

3. 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.

4. to feel or show active, self-giving concern for.

   Love your neighbor—even the one you don’t like.

5. to feel or express reverent devotion toward; adore.

6. to need or require; benefit greatly from.

   Plants love sunlight.

7. to have sexual intercourse with.

8. to embrace and kiss (someone), as a lover.

verb (used without object)

loved, loving

1. to have love or affection for another person; be in love.

   Those who have never loved will not understand what I am saying.

verb phrase

1. love up to hug and cuddle.

   She loves that little guy up every chance she gets.

idioms

1. for love,

   1. out of devotion, affection, liking, or enjoyment.

   2. without compensation.

      He volunteered at the animal shelter for love.

2. for the love of, in consideration of; for the sake of.

   For the love of mercy, stop that noise!

3. no love lost, dislike; animosity.

   There was no love lost between the two brothers.

4. in love, infused with or feeling deep affection or passion.

   He was a youth always in love.

5. 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!

6. make love,

   1. to engage in sexual activity.

   2. to embrace and kiss as lovers.

love British / lʌv /

verb

1. (tr) to have a great attachment to and affection for

2. (tr) to have passionate desire, longing, and feelings for

3. (tr) to like or desire (to do something) very much

4. (tr) to make love to

5. (intr) to be in 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

noun

1. 1. an intense emotion of affection, warmth, fondness, and regard towards a person or thing

   2. ( as modifier )

      love song

      love story

2. a deep feeling of sexual attraction and desire

3. wholehearted liking for or pleasure in something

4. Christianity

   1. God's benevolent attitude towards man

   2. man's attitude of reverent devotion towards God

5. Also: my love. a beloved person: used esp as an endearment

6. informal a term of address, esp but not necessarily for a person regarded as likable

7. (in tennis, squash, etc) a score of zero

8. to become in love

9. without payment

10. (used with a negative) in any circumstances

    I wouldn't eat a snail for love or money

11. for the sake of

12. in a state of strong emotional attachment and usually sexual attraction

13. 1. to have sexual intercourse (with)

    2. archaic to engage in courtship (with)

"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 love More Idioms

More idioms and phrases containing love

• 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

Usage

What are other ways to say love?

The noun love refers to a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. When should you use love in place of affection or devotion? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

Other Word Forms

• outlove verb (used with object)
• overlove verb

Etymology

Origin of love

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun love, louve, luve, Old English lufu, cognate with Old Frisian luve, Old High German luba, Gothic lubō; verb derived from the noun; akin to Latin libēre (earlier lubēre ) “to be pleasing,” Polish lubić “to like, enjoy;” lief ( def. )

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.

"Really for me it's about spending more time with loved ones; family and friends. It's been a tough couple of years. We lost my brother," he explains.

From BBC

That kind of tough love echoes throughout the team, Jones said.

From Los Angeles Times

“If you knew him, you loved him. A brilliant actor and even better person. May his memory forever be a blessing. Our hearts are so broken. He will be very, very missed.”

From Los Angeles Times

As described by one of his three daughters—who clearly love him—the comedian “came back from the dead,” and not without some side effects.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I had a son whom I loved more than anything and a newborn I needed to take care of,” she wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• affection
• appreciation
• devotion
• emotion
• fondness
• friendship
• infatuation
• lust
• passion
• respect
• tenderness
• yearning

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.