love

[luhv]

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.

love

/ 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

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)

Other Word Forms

• outlove verb (used with object)
• overlove verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of love¹

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. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of love¹

Old English lufu; related to Old High German luba; compare also Latin libēre (originally lubēre ) to please

Idioms and Phrases

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.

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

Example Sentences

His love of theme parks runs deep, and is, of course, nonpartisan.

From Los Angeles Times

Rare are the characters who emerge on the other side of a story in which they betray a vulnerable figure – for entirely logical reasons, mind you – and still be loved by the audience.

From Salon

I love that series so much, and the way they show queer love as such an innocent thing is so beautiful.

From Los Angeles Times

The young couple fall into lust, then love, over beers in a Latin American cowboy bar, Uyghur street food and then in a shabby basement apartment.

From Los Angeles Times

But the movie stays in that postcard allure, never quite edging its earnest expressions of desire and anxiety into anything more stakes-driven or detailed, the way a love letter might rattle and console simultaneously.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• affection 
• appreciation 
• devotion 
• emotion 
• fondness 
• friendship 
• infatuation 
• lust 
• passion 
• respect 
• tenderness www.thesaurus.com
• yearning 

When To Use

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.