a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
sexual passion or desire.
a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.
(used in direct address as a term of endearment, affection, or the like): Would you like to see a movie, love?
a love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour.
sexual intercourse; copulation.
(initial capital letter) a personification of sexual affection, as Eros or Cupid.
affectionate concern for the well-being of others: the love of one's neighbor.
strong predilection, enthusiasm, or liking for anything: her love of books.
the object or thing so liked: The theater was her great love.
the benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God.
Chiefly Tennis. a score of zero; nothing.
a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter L.
verb (used with object),loved,lov·ing.
to have love or affection for: All her pupils love her.
to have a profoundly tender, passionate affection for (another person).
to have a strong liking for; take great pleasure in: to love music.
to need or require; benefit greatly from: Plants love sunlight.
to embrace and kiss (someone), as a lover.
to have sexual intercourse with.
verb (used without object),loved,lov·ing.
to have love or affection for another person; be in love.
Verb Phrases
love up,to hug and cuddle: She loves him up every chance she gets.
VIDEO FOR LOVE
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Idioms for love
for love,
out of affection or liking; for pleasure.
without compensation; gratuitously: He took care of the poor for love.
for the love of, in consideration of; for the sake of: For the love of mercy, stop that noise.
in love, infused with or feeling deep affection or passion: a youth always in love.
in love with, feeling deep affection or passion for (a person, idea, occupation, etc.); enamored of: in love with the girl next door; in love with one's work.
make love,
to embrace and kiss as lovers.
to engage in sexual activity.
no love lost, dislike; animosity: There was no love lost between the two brothers.
Origin of love
First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English lufu, cognate with Old Frisian luve, Old High German luba, Gothic lubō; (verb) Middle English lov(i)en, Old English lufian; cognate with Old Frisian luvia, Old High German lubōn “to love,” Latin lubēre (later libēre ) “to be pleasing”; akin to lief
1, 2. Love,affection,devotion all mean a deep and enduring emotional regard, usually for another person. Love may apply to various kinds of regard: the charity of the Creator, reverent adoration toward God or toward a person, the relation of parent and child, the regard of friends for each other, romantic feelings for another person, etc. Affection is a fondness for others that is enduring and tender, but calm. Devotion is an intense love and steadfast, enduring loyalty to a person; it may also imply consecration to a cause.
OTHER WORDS FROM love
outlove,verb (used with object),out·loved,out·lov·ing.o·ver·love,verb,o·ver·loved,o·ver·lov·ing.
Words nearby love
Louÿs, lovable, lovage, lovastatin, lovat, love, loveable, love affair, love apple, love arrows, love at first sight
Every now and again, we come across a love story that touches our hearts in more ways than be.
WNBA Player Maya Moore Marries Jonathan Irons, The Man She Helped Free From Prison|Jasmine Grant|September 17, 2020|Essence.com
Again, I didn’t think much of it as a 15-year-old, but I just had a love for food.
Tom Colicchio Hopes (and Fears) COVID-19 Will Change the Restaurant Industry|Pallabi Munsi|September 16, 2020|Ozy
Ideally you should be growing and evolving at similar rates and speeds for romantic love, I should say.
Get Gabrielle Union’s Best Career Advice|Joshua Eferighe|September 16, 2020|Ozy
She’d met me in 1986, at a party for returned Peace Corps volunteers and had fallen in love with the guy who’d just spent two years teaching in Swaziland.
What if Your Company Had No Rules? (Bonus Episode)|Maria Konnikova|September 12, 2020|Freakonomics
To be a real home cook, the kind who put love and attention into each dish, was to make everything yourself.
The Redemption of the Spice Blend|Jaya Saxena|September 10, 2020|Eater
“I love my job and I love my city and I am committed to the work here,” he said in a statement.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races|David Freedlander|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
You just travel light with carry-on luggage, go to cities that you love, and get to hang out with all your friends.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And we have a lot of great guests this season: Greta Gerwig, Natasha Lyonne, Olivia Wilde, Steve Buscemi is back—I love that guy.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It upsets me because I used to really, and still do sometimes, love the articles Salon writes.
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire|William O’Connor|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He talked about his love for his daughters, Taelor and Sydni, who were still very young at the time.
Remembering ESPN’s Sly, Cocky, and Cool Anchor Stuart Scott|Stereo Williams|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Her eyes might find no blemish in his person, and Love knocked upon her heart, requiring her to love, since her time had come.
French Mediaeval Romances from the Lays of Marie de France|Marie de France
We were such good friends, and we felt, I daresay, that it was our duty to love each other.
Robert Orange|John Oliver Hobbes
Beauchamp hugged his politics like some who show their love of the pleasures of life by taking to them angrily.
Beauchamp's Career, Complete|George Meredith
Is Love ours, and do we dream we know it, Bound with all our heart-strings, all our own?
Legends and Lyrics: Second Series|Adelaide Anne Procter
I love them that know how to live, be it even as those going under, for such are those going across.
Plain English|Marian Wharton
British Dictionary definitions for love
love
/ (lʌv) /
verb
(tr)to have a great attachment to and affection for
(tr)to have passionate desire, longing, and feelings for
(tr)to like or desire (to do something) very much
(tr)to make love to
(intr)to be in love
noun
an intense emotion of affection, warmth, fondness, and regard towards a person or thing
(as modifier)love song; love story
a deep feeling of sexual attraction and desire
wholehearted liking for or pleasure in something
Christianity
God's benevolent attitude towards man
man's attitude of reverent devotion towards God
Also: my lovea beloved person: used esp as an endearment
Britishinformala term of address, esp but not necessarily for a person regarded as likable
(in tennis, squash, etc) a score of zero
fall in loveto become in love
for lovewithout payment
for love or money(used with a negative)in any circumstancesI wouldn't eat a snail for love or money
for the love offor the sake of
in lovein a state of strong emotional attachment and usually sexual attraction
make love
to have sexual intercourse (with)
archaicto engage in courtship (with)
Other words from love
Related adjective: amatory
Word Origin for love
Old English lufu; related to Old High German luba; compare also Latin libēre (originally lubēre) to please
love tapFellow athletes smacking butts in the locker room? A girlfriend giving her boo a fake punch? A father nudging his son to visit his grandmother? Find out why these are all called love taps.
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Quotes On Love And HeartbreakIf you've ever experienced the pain of heartbreak, you'll understand these quotes.