Love Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster 9/9/22, 3:43 PM

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love noun
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\ ˈləv \

Definition of love (Entry 1 of 2)

1 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
// After all these years, they are still very much in love.
(3) : affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common WORD OF THE DAY
interests
// love for his old schoolmates

b : an assurance of affection
facsimile
// give her my love See Definitions and Examples »

2 : warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion

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// love of the sea
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3 a : the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration

// baseball was his first love

b (1) : a beloved person : DARLING —often used as a term of

endearment
(2) British —used as an informal term of address

4 a : unselfish loyal and benevolent (see BENEVOLENT sense 1a)

concern for the good of another: such as

(1) : the fatherly concern of God for humankind

(2) : brotherly concern for others

b : a person's adoration of God

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5 : a god (such as Cupid or Eros) or personification of love

6 : an amorous episode : LOVE AFFAIR

7 : the sexual embrace : COPULATION

8 : a score of zero (as in tennis)

9 capitalized, Christian Science : GOD

at love
: holding one's opponent scoreless in tennis

in love
TEST YOUR VOCABULARY
: inspired by affection
Commonly Confused Words Quiz

love verb I went to the ______ store

to buy a birthday card.
\ ˈləv \
loved; loving stationary stationery

Definition of love (Entry 2 of 2)

Test your knowledge - and
transitive verb maybe learn something
along the way.
1 : to hold dear : CHERISH TAKE THE QUIZ

2 a : to feel a lover's passion, devotion, or tenderness for

A daily challenge for
crossword fanatics.
b (1) : CARESS
TAKE THE QUIZ
(2) : to fondle amorously
(3) : to copulate with

3 : to like or desire actively : take pleasure in

// loved to play the violin

4 : to thrive in
// the rose loves sunlight

intransitive verb
: to feel affection or experience desire

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Synonyms & Antonyms

More Example Sentences

Phrases Containing love

Learn More About love

Synonyms & Antonyms for love

Synonyms: Noun
affection, attachment, devotedness, devotion, fondness, passion

Synonyms: Verb
appreciate, cherish, prize, treasure, value

Antonyms: Noun
abomination, hate, hatred, loathing, rancor

Antonyms: Verb
disvalue

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Examples of love in a Sentence

Noun
// 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

// … Eddie sees Vince's pure love of pool, and after years of thinking of
the game as merely a hustle, the older man suddenly falls back in love
with the game himself.
— Maureen Dowd, New York Times Magazine, 28 Sept. 1986

// Aunt Polly knelt down and prayed for Tom so touchingly, so

appealingly, and with such measureless love in her words and her old
trembling voice, that he was weltering in tears again, long before she was
through.
— Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer, 1876

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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

// Dax and Emily met and fell in love during the nuclear sandstorm.
— Al Mullen, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2022

// But the audience that fell in love with what these groups were doing in
the '80s has remained intensely loyal.
— Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 26 Aug. 2022

// They were seen looking as in love as ever during a shopping trip in the
busy city yesterday.
— Rosa Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 26 Aug. 2022

See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect
current usage of the word 'love.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of
Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Phrases Containing love

all's fair in love be in love fall out of love
and war

fall in love courtly love for love or money

first love for love nor I must love you

money and leave you

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First Known Use of love

Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

History and Etymology for love

Noun and Verb
Middle English, from Old English lufu; akin to Old High German luba love,
Old English lēof dear, Latin lubēre, libēre to please

Learn More About love

Share love Time Traveler for love

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Love Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster 9/9/22, 3:43 PM

Share love Time Traveler for love

The first known use of love
was before the 12th
century
See more words from the same
century

From the Editors at Merriam-Webster

Why 'Love' Means "Nothing"

It's just the beginning. Keep scoring points.

Love Poems for Word Nerds

For you, from us.

12 Words and Phrases for Romantic

Relationships
This list warms the cockles of our hearts

Dictionary Entries Near Statistics for love

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Dictionary Entries Near Statistics for love

love Last Updated
lovat 29 Aug 2022
love
Look-up Popularity
love's test Top 1% of words

See More Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

“Love.” Merriam-Webster.com
Dictionary, Merriam-Webster,
https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/love.
Accessed 9 Sep. 2022.

Style: MLA

More Definitions for love

love noun
\ ˈləv \

Kids Definition of love (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : strong and warm affection (as of a parent for a child)

2 : a great liking
// a love for reading

3 : a beloved person

love verb
loved; loving

Kids Definition of love (Entry 2 of 2)

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Love Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster 9/9/22, 3:43 PM

1 : to feel strong affection for

// He loves his family.

2 : to like very much

// She loves to ski.

Other Words from love

lover noun

More from Merriam-Webster on love

Nglish: Translation of love for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of love for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about love

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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