love
: a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person
: attraction that includes sexual desire : the strong affection felt by people who have a romantic relationship
: a person you love in a romantic way
No, that doesn’t mean you should use it. »
Full Definition of LOVE
a (1) : strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties<maternal love for a child> (2) : attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3) : affection based on admiration,benevolence, or common interests <love for his old schoolmates>
b : an assurance of affection <give her my love>
a : the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration <baseball was his firstlove>
b (1) : a beloved person : darling —often used as a term of endearment(2) British —used as an informal term of address
a : unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1) : the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2) : brotherly concern for others
b : a person’s adoration of God
— at love
— in love
Examples of LOVE
- Children need unconditional love from their parents.
- He was just a lonely man looking for love.
- Mr. Brown seems to imply that when he retired he relinquished her love as casually as he dispensed with her secretarial services. —Ken Follett, New York Times Book Review, 27 Dec. 1987
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Origin of LOVE
Middle English, from Old English lufu; akin to Old High German luba love, Old English lēof dear, Latin lubēre, libēre to please
Related to LOVE
- Synonyms
- affection, attachment, devotedness, devotion, fondness, passion
- Antonyms
- abomination, hate, hatred, loathing, rancor
2love
: to feel great affection for (someone) : to feel love for (someone)
: to feel sexual or romantic love for (someone)
: to like or desire (something) very much : to take great pleasure in (something)
Full Definition of LOVE
Examples of LOVE
- She obviously loves her family very much.
- You have to love in order to be loved.
- He swore that he loved her madly.
- She said she could never marry a man she didn’t love.
- People loved him for his brashness and talent, his crazy manglings of the English language, his brawling, boyish antics … and I loved him, too, I loved him as much as anyone in the world. —Paul Auster, Granta, Winter 1994
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Origin of LOVE
(see 1love)