Word.ws English Dictionary

love

/ˈlʌv/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

Australia/ˈlɐv/

love noun: a deep caring for the existence of another. Also the alternative letter-case form of Love.

love: a deep caring for the existence of another
Image: Frank Bernard Dicksee, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun (1)

love (countable and uncountable, plural loves)

  1. (uncountable) A deep caring for the existence of another.
  2. A profound and caring affection towards someone.
    • A mother’s love is not easily shaken.
    • My husband’s love is the most important thing in my life.
  3. Affectionate, benevolent concern or care for other people or beings, and for their well-being.
    • The love of your neighbor as yourself, is expressly given as the definition and test of Charity,—not alms-giving—and this love is … the highest of all the Divine commands[.]1864, Utilitarianism Explained and Exemplified in Moral and Political Government
    • Through nonviolent resistance we shall be able to oppose the unjust system and at the same time love the perpetrators of the system. We must work passionately and unrelentingly for full stature as citizens, but may it never be said, my friends, that to gain it we used the inferior methods of...1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., “A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart”, in Strength to Love, New York: Pocket Books, published 1964, →OCLC, page 7
  4. A feeling of intense attraction towards someone.
    • I have never been in love as much as I have with you.
    • Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd, / Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman ſcorn'd.1697, [William] Congreve, The Mourning Bride, a Tragedy. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act III, page 39
  5. A deep or abiding liking for something; an enthusiasm for something.
    • My love of cricket knows no bounds.
    • For three decades, the average number of miles driven by US motorists increased steadily. Then, in 2007, that steady climb was suddenly halted. [...] What magic caused Americans to temper their longstanding love of the open road?2012, Philip Auerswald, The Coming Prosperity, →ISBN
  6. (countable) A person who is the object of romantic feelings; a darling, a sweetheart, a beloved.
    • Open the temple gates unto my love.1595, Edmund Spenser, Epithalamion
    • O love, dispatch all business, and be gone!c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
  7. (Commonwealth, colloquial) A term of friendly address, regardless of feelings.
    • Hello love, how can I help you?
  8. A thing, activity, etc. which is the object of one's deep liking or enthusiasm.
    • But it wasn't until [Theresa M. Claiborne] went to ROTC training camp at the University of California at Berkeley that she discovered that flying was her first love. "Pilots talk about getting bit by the flying bug," she says. "I thought, This is heaven."1997 March, “Faces of Today's Black Woman”, in Ebony, volume 52, number 5, page 96
  9. (euphemistic) Sexual desire; attachment based on sexual attraction.
    • The prospect that their cherished Greeks would have countenanced, much less honored, a love between men that expressed itself carnally, however, was not so easily assimilated.2013, Ronald Long, Men, Homosexuality, and the Gods, Routledge, →ISBN, page 3
  10. (euphemistic) Sexual activity.
    • —What think you, my lord, of... love?
      —You mean ‘rumpy-pumpy’.1986, Ben Elton et al., “Bells”, in Blackadder II
  11. An instance or episode of being in love; a love affair.
    • Maybe it was just a summer love, something with no future.2014, E. L. Todd, Then Came Absolution, →ISBN
    Synonyms:
    romance
  12. Used as the closing, before the signature, of a letter, especially between good friends or family members, or by the young.
Show 3 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. (obsolete) A thin silk material.
    • Such a kind of transparency, as that of a Sive, a piece of Cyprus, or a Love-Hood.1664, Robert Boyle, Experiments and Considerations Touching Colours, […]
  2. A climbing plant, Clematis vitalba.
  3. (obsolete, Tyndale Bible, also puristic) Charity.

Verb

love (third-person singular simple present loves, present participle loving, simple past and past participle loved)

  1. (intransitive, sometimes, stative, transitive, usually) To have a strong affection for (someone or something).
    • I love my spouse. I love you! I love that song!
    • wanted to take her in my arms and tell her how I loved her, and had taken her hand from the rail and started to draw her toward me when Olson came blundering up on deck with his bedding.1918 September–November, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Land That Time Forgot”, in The Blue Book Magazine, Chicago, Ill.: Story-press Corp., →OCLC; republished as chapter VI, in Hugo Gernsback, editor...
    Synonyms:
    adore
  2. (transitive) To need, thrive on.
    • Mold loves moist, dark places.
  3. (transitive) To be strongly inclined towards something; an emphatic form of like.
    • I love walking barefoot on wet grass; I'd love to join the team; I love what you've done with your hair
    • "I love not that underlings should perceive my wisdom."1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC
  4. (intransitive, sometimes, transitive, usually) To seek the good or honor of (someone), care deeply about, to be dedicated to (someone or something).
    • For God so loued þe world, that he gaue his only begotten Sonne: that whosoeuer beleeueth in him, should not perish, but haue euerlasting life.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 3:16
    • Iesus sayd vnto him, Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soule, and with all thy minde. This is the first and great Commandement. And the second is like vnto it, Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 22:37–39
  5. (ironic, sometimes, transitive) To derive delight from a fact or situation.
    • I love the fact that the coffee shop now offers fat-free chai latte.
  6. (Internet) Synonym of heart (verb).
    • She loved my photos of the kids playing with the dogs.
    Synonyms:
    heart
  7. (euphemistic, transitive) To have sex with (perhaps from make love).
    • I wish I could love her all night long.
    Synonyms:
    enjoy

Noun (2)

love (uncountable)

  1. Zero, no score.
    • So that’s fifteen-love to Kournikova.
    • The next day Agassi came back from two sets to love down to beat Courier in five sets.2013, Paul McNamee, Game Changer: My Tennis Life
  2. Nothing; no recompense.
    • I fought the white man for less than sixpence. I fought him for love, which is nothing at all.1916, H. Rider Haggard, The Ivory Child

Noun (3) capitalized: Love

Love

  1. (World War II era, joint US/RAF) radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter L.
    Synonyms:
    Lima

Proper noun (1) capitalized: Love

Love (countable and uncountable, plural Loves)

  1. A surname.
    • Elisheva Baskin and Michael Stein are to be married Sunday evening at the Palisadium, an event space in Cliffside Park, N.J. Rabbi Yaacov Love is to officiate.2013 July 26, “Elisheva Baskin and Michael Stein”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 29 Jul 2013
  2. A male given name.
  3. A female given name.
  4. Cupid, Eros, or another personification of love.
    • To Hymen's bower young Cupid came,
      And each with each was quite delighted;
      Love shot his dart of surest aim,
      And Hymen's brightest torch was lighted.1897, “The Quarrel of Love and Hymen”, in Choicest Lyrics from the Realms of Love, page 99
  5. An unincorporated community in Butler County, Kentucky.

Proper noun (2) capitalized: LoVe

LoVe

  1. (slang) The ship of characters Logan Echolls and Veronica Mars from the television show Veronica Mars.
    • The complicated and, for fans, mostly frustrating relationship between these characters is the reason why stories dealing with Spuffy and LoVe pairings are by far more popular than stories based on any other possible ship.2008, Manuela Scherf, "Character Formation in Fan Fiction Based on Popular TV Series, thesis submitted to the University of Vienna, page 15
    • “LoVe” (Logan/Veronica) was a very rapid OTP (one true pairing) candidate.2018, Ivan Askwith, quoted in The Routledge Companion to Media Fandom (Melissa A. Click & Suzanne Scott), unnumbered page

Also used as

love is also the alternative letter-case form of Love.

love is also the alternative form of lofe.

love meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

love in Hindi

strong affection
प्यार pyār, प्रेम prem, सम्मोह sammoh, स्नेह sneh, अनुराग anurāg, प्रीति prīti
object of one's romantic feelings; darling or sweetheart
प्रिय priya, प्रेमपात्र prempātra, प्रियतम priytam, कामुक kāmuk, कामुकी kāmukī, प्रीतम prītam
have a strong affection for
प्यार करना pyār karnā, प्रेम करना prem karnā
to need, thrive on
बहुत चाहना bahut cāhnā

love in Tamil

strong affection
அன்பு aṉpu, பாசம் pācam, நேசம் nēcam, பரிவு parivu
object of one's romantic feelings; darling or sweetheart
காதலன் kātalaṉ, காதலி kātali, காதலர் kātalar, அன்பு aṉpu
euphemistic: sexual activity
காதல் செய்தல் kātal ceytal
closing of a letter
அன்புடன் aṉpuṭaṉ

love in Marathi

strong affection
प्रेम prem, प्रीति prīti
have a strong affection for
प्रेम prem

love in Urdu

strong affection
مُحَبَّت muhabbat, عِشْق 'iśq, پْیار pyār, پْریم prem
object of one's romantic feelings; darling or sweetheart
جان jān
have a strong affection for
پیار کرنا pyār karnā, محبت کرنا muhabbat karnā, عشق کرنا 'iśq karnā
More languagesFewer languages
love in Bengali
মহব্বত mohobbot, ভালোবাসা bhalōbaśa, ভালবাসা bhalbaśa
love in Telugu
ప్రేమ prēma, ప్రియురాలు priyurālu, ప్రేమించు prēmiñcu
love in Malayalam
സ്നേഹം snēhaṁ, ഇഷ്ടം iṣṭaṁ, പ്രേമം prēmaṁ, കാമുകി
love in Kannada
ಪ್ರೀತಿ prīti
love in Punjabi
ਪਿਆਰ piāra
love in Gujarati
પ્રેમ prem, પ્રેમ કરવો prem karvo
love in Odia
ପ୍ରେମ prema, ପ୍ରେମ କରିବା prema karibā, ଭଲ ପାଇବା Bhala pāibā
love in Sanskrit
अनुराग anurāga, प्रेमन् preman
love in Sinhala
ආදරය ādaraya, ආදරය කරනවා ādaraya karanawā
love in Assamese
মৰম morom, চেনেহ seneh, ভাল পোৱা bhal püa, মৰম কৰা morom kora
love in Nepali
माया māyā
love in Pashto
مينه mina, عشق 'ešq, محبت mohabat
love in Tagalog
pag-ibig, pagmamahal, mahal, irog
love in Arabic
حُبّ ḥubb, مَحَبَّة maḥabba, عِشْق ʕišq, حب ḥubb
love in Malay
cinta, sayang
love in Indonesian
cinta, suka, bercinta
love in Persian
عِشْق išq, مُحَبَّت muhabbat, مَحَبَّت mahabbat, مِهْر mihr
love in Thai
ความรัก kwaam-rák, รัก rák, ที่รัก tîi-rák, ยาหยี yaa-yǐi
love in Vietnamese
tình yêu, ái tình, yêu, cưng
love in Myanmar
အချစ် a.hkyac, မေတ္တာ metta, ချစ်ခင် hkyachkang
Sindhi
محبت mahbbàtà, عشق 'išqù, پیار pyārù, لَنو lôve
Dhivehi
ލޯބި lōbi

Examples of love in a sentence

  • My love for Melca is eternal.
  • He on his side / Leaning half-raised, with looks of cordial love / Hung over her enamoured.1674, John Milton, Paradise Lost:
  • Through nonviolent resistance we shall be able to oppose the unjust system and at the same time love the perpetrators of the system.1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., “A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart”, in Strength to Love, New York: Pocket Books, published 1964, →OCLC, page...
  • 'Oh, my love, my love!' she murmured, 'wilt thou ever know how I have loved thee?' and she kissed him on the forehead, and then went and stood in the pathway of the flame of Life.1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
  • Just give me a reason, / just a little bit's enough, / just a second we're not broken, just bent / and we can learn to love again.2013 February 26, Pink, Nate Ruess, Just Give Me a Reason:

All 40 example sentences with love

Synonyms of love

30 more synonymsFewer synonyms

Antonyms

All synonyms and antonyms of love

Forms of love

Noun
pluralloves
alternative Internetluv
alternative form (obsolete)loue
Verb
third-person singular presentloves
present participleloving
past participleloved
pastloved
second-person singular present (archaic)lovest
second-person singular past (archaic)lovedst
third-person singular present (archaic)loveth
Proper noun
pluralLoves

Past tense of love: loved

Plural of love: loves

Origin of love

From Middle English love, luve, from Old English lufu, from Proto-West Germanic *lubu, from Proto-Germanic *lubō, from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- (“love, care, desire”). The close of a letter sense is presumably a truncation of With love or the like. Eclipsed non-native English amour (“love”), borrowed from Norman amour (“love”). Cognates Cognate with Scots luve (“love”), Saterland Frisian ljo, ljoo, ljoof (“dear, sweet”), Ljoote, Ljoowe (“love”), West Frisian leaf (“friendly, kind, cordial”), leafde (“love”), Dutch lief (“lovely, nice, sweet”), liefde (“love”), German lieb (“dear; lovable”), Liebe (“love”), German Low German Leevde, Lieve (“love”), Luxembourgish léif (“lovely, kind, nice, sweet”), Léift (“love”), Vilamovian łiwa (“love”), Yiddish ליב (lib, “nice; kind”), Icelandic ljúfur (“beloved, dear”), Norwegian Nynorsk, Swedish ljuv (“lovely, sweet”), Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐍆𐍃 (liufs, “beloved, dear”), Albanian lyp (“to beg”), Russian любовь (ljubovʹ, “love”), Lithuanian liaupsė (“praise”), Latin libido (“desire, lust”), Polish lubić (“to like”), Persian آلفتن (âloftan, “to enamor”), Sanskrit लोभ (lobha, “desire, greed”).

The verb sense is from Middle English loven, luvien, from Old English lufian (“to love”), from Proto-West Germanic *lubōn (“to love”), derived from the noun.

Now widely believed (due to historical written record) to be from the idea that when one does a thing “for love” it is for no monetary gain, the word “love” thus implying “nothing”. Use of “love” for having no score extends to the 18th century in tennis as well as certain card games. The former assumption that it had originated from French l’œuf (literally “the egg”), due to its shape, has largely been discredited and is no longer widely accepted. However, the apparent similarity of the shape of an egg to a zero has inspired similar analogies, such as the use of duck (reputed to be short for duck's egg) for a zero score at cricket, and goose egg for "zero".

Words formed from love

Phrases with love

173 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with love

1 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about love

What does love mean?
Love means a deep caring for the existence of another.
What is love in Hindi?
Love in Hindi is प्यार (pyār), प्रेम (prem), सम्मोह (sammoh). See Love meaning in Hindi.
How do you use love in a sentence?
My love for Melca is eternal.
What part of speech is love?
Love can be a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce love?
Love is pronounced /ˈlʌv/ (UK).
What is the plural of love?
The plural of love is loves.

Words near love in the dictionary

  1. Lovatts
  2. LOVC
  3. lovchorrite
  4. LOVCs
  5. lovdarite
  6. love
  7. love a duck
  8. love affair
  9. love affairs
  10. love apple
  11. love apples

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: love (page history and authors); Love (page history and authors); LoVe (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-uk-love.ogg, En-us-love.ogg.

Cite this entry: “love.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/love. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.