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 interests love for his old schoolmates
b : an assurance of affection give her my love
2 : warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion love of the sea
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 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
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
: inspired by affection
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: before 12th century
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See love defined for English-language learners
See love defined for kids
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Examples of love in a Sentence
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
Allworthy thus answered: " … I have always thought love the only foundation of happiness in a married state, as it can only produce that high and tender friendship which should always be the cement of this union … " —Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, 1749
Children need unconditional love from their parents.
He was just a lonely man looking for love.
Origin and Etymology of love
Middle English, from Old English lufu; akin to Old High German luba love, Old English lēof dear, Latin lubēre, libēre to please
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: before 12th century
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love Synonyms
Synonyms
affection, attachment, devotedness, devotion, fondness, passion
Antonyms
abomination, hate, hatred, loathing, rancor
Related Words
appetite, fancy, favor, like, liking, partiality, preference, relish, taste; craving, crush, desire, infatuation, longing, lust, yearning; ardor, eagerness, enthusiasm, fervor, zeal; appreciation, esteem, estimation, regard, respect; adoration, adulation, deification, idolatry, idolization, worship; allegiance, faithfulness, fealty, fidelity, loyalty, steadfastness
Near Antonyms
allergy, animosity, antagonism, antipathy, aversion, disfavor, dislike, enmity, hostility; abhorrence, disgust, repugnance, repulsion, revulsion; misanthropy
Other Forms of Address Terms
appellation, beatitude, brethren, emeritus, esquire, sire, sous
2love
verb \ ˈləv
Definition of love

loved; loving
transitive verb
1 : to hold dear : cherish
2 a : to feel a lover's passion, devotion, or tenderness for
b (1) : caress (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
See love defined for English-language learners
Examples of love in a Sentence
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
Lying awake, listening to the sound of his father's breathing, he knew there was no one in the world he loved so much. —William Maxwell, New Yorker, 15 May 1989
I love either rushing off into abstractions, or shamelessly talking personalities. —Elizabeth Bowen, letter, 28 Apr. 1923
"Nay," said Elizabeth, "this is not fair. You wish to think all the world respectable, and are hurt if I speak ill of any body. I only want to think you perfect, and you set yourself against it. Do not be afraid of my running into any excess, of my encroaching on your privilege of universal good will. You need not. There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well." —Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, 1813
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.
Recent Examples of love from the Web
What's not to love, and what gets more 2004-05 than that?
—
Billboard Staff, Billboard, "The Top 40 Deep Cuts by Popular Rock Bands of the 21st Century: Critic's Picks," 22 Nov. 2017
The senior linebacker produced a stat line that many players would love to have for a season.
—
John Snodgrass, Cincinnati.com, "Prospect breakdown: Playoff special," 4 Nov. 2017
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV’s mud-loving stepchild moved 689,000 utility vehicles in the U.S. through October, more than any other brand.
—
Kyle Stock, Bloomberg.com, "The State of the Great American SUV Race, in Three Charts," 3 Nov. 2017
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.
Origin and Etymology of love
see 1love
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: before 12th century
SEE WORDS FROM THE SAME YEAR
love Synonyms
Synonyms
appreciate, cherish, prize, treasure, value, set store by (or set store on), carry a torch for (or carry the torch for), fall for, lose one's heart (to)
Antonyms
disvalue
Related Words
delight (in), dig, enjoy, fancy, groove (on), like, relish, revel (in); admire, apprize, esteem, regard, respect, revere, reverence, venerate; enshrine, memorialize; adore, caress, dote (on), idolize, worship
Near Antonyms
undervalue; abhor, abominate, despise, detest, execrate, hate, loathe; disdain, high-hat, scorn, scout, slight, sniff (at), snub; bad-mouth, belittle, cry down, decry, deprecate, depreciate, disparage, kiss off, minimize, put down, write off; abandon, forget, neglect
LOVE Defined for English Language Learners

love
noun
Definition of love for English Language Learners
: 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
love
verb
Definition of love for English Language Learners
: 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)
LOVE Defined for Kids

1love
noun \ ˈləv
Definition of love for Students

1 : strong and warm affection (as of a parent for a child)
2 : a great liking a love for reading
3 : a beloved person
2love
verb
Definition of love for Students

loved; loving
1 : to feel strong affection for He loves his family.
2 : to like very much She loves to ski.
— lover noun
Learn More about love
See words that rhyme with love
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for love
Spanish Central: Translation of love
Nglish: Translation of love for Spanish speakers
Britannica English: Translation of love for Arabic speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about love
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