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to love

to love

1.0
To feel strong affection and great pleasure for someone or something
  • verb
  • /lʌv/
translation icon : amar
  • I love going for long walks in the park on sunny days.
  • love people
  • love children
  • love learning

Oh gosh, I freaking love cake so much.

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Examples

  • Each of us has to find what we love most about our profession.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Another stated: "While I love my students, I feel that I will burn out."

    Academic text (2012)
  • As of today, I will love myself first.

  • So I love her, I love her, I love her.

  • I actually kind of love how they look on here.

  • I love this, I love this, I love this.

  • One of the many reasons I love living with this guy.

  • You know I love you very much, right?

  • And I just love, I love all kinds of film.

  • But Carolyn and I do love the Bay Area, and it is home at this point.

    Academic text (2017)

Synonyms

to care
vsto love
1.0

To feel that someone or something matters to you

focuses on strong positive attachment and pleasure, not just concern
to enjoy
vsto love
1.0

To feel happy because of something you do or see

involves deep emotional attachment and strong affection, not just pleasure
to care for
vsto love
349 1.9

Like a person or want something

is deeper emotional attachment and pleasure rather than mere liking
to adore
vsto love
274 2.4

Love someone or something very much

is strong affection but less rapturous and slightly broader in scope
to cherish
vsto love
204 3.0

To feel deep love for someone or something and treat it with care

is affectionate but emphasizes feeling more than careful treatment
to hold dear
vsto love
22 3.5

To care about someone or something very much

is strong attachment but not always focused on valuing highly

Antonyms

1.0

To feel a very strong dislike for someone or something

Idioms

1.9

Feeling strong romantic feelings for someone

love ya
  • Texting
720 8.4

Tell someone you care about them in a friendly way

A strong feeling for someone the first time you see them

for the love of
  • Informal
13 7.5

To show strong feeling, often as an urgent plea

no love lost
  • Informal
3 8.3

A strong dislike between two people or groups

The person someone loves most and wants to spend their life with

Words people say when they are very annoyed or want something done quickly

1 9.9

No matter how hard you try, you cannot remember or understand it

To look and act in a sexy way for a camera

Become very confident about your looks and ready for love

6.6

You cannot do it even for a large reward

9.7

A strong spoken request or cry that shows shock and anger

Accept something as it is even if you do not like it

People can love anyone no matter their background

8.2

To say goodbye in a warm, loving way when you must leave

7.0

To give someone so much care and affection that they feel overwhelmed

Phrasal Verbs

950 2.5

To begin to feel strong romantic feelings for someone

To begin to feel strong romantic feelings for someone or something

296 5.3

Have sex with someone you love or care about

To encourage someone to like something over time

Make someone's pain or fear less by showing care and kindness

Compounds

98 4.4

Sex between people to show love or affection

88 1.9

A story, like a book or film, about love between the main characters

56 2.0

A written message that tells someone you have romantic feelings for them

love life
  • NSFW
54 3.4

A person's romantic relationships and sexual activity

47 1.4

A song that expresses romantic feelings for someone

46 3.6

A secret romantic or sexual relationship between two people

43 3.2

The first person you have strong romantic feelings for

31 4.5

A strict way of caring that helps someone improve

The person someone cares for most and wants to be with

labor of love
  • Informal
13 3.9

Work people do for pleasure not for money

12 4.2

A small private place where two people in love spend romantic time together

11 6.5

A child born to parents who are not married to each other

10 2.7

A small sofa for two people to sit together

love-potion
  • Literature
9 8.8

A drink people believe makes someone want to be with the person who gives it to them

free love
  • NSFW
7 6.5

Sex between people who are not married, often part of a belief in sexual freedom

love handle
  • Informal
7 3.9

A small roll of fat at the sides of the waist

puppy love
  • Informal
7 3.7

A strong short romantic feeling often felt by young people

A strong enjoyment of playing a sport not for money or fame

Words or actions that show romantic feelings

A kind, caring feeling toward other people as if they were your brothers

love machine
  • Informal
3 8.1

A person who easily attracts romantic interest, often said as a joke

love-in
  • Archaic
3 8.6

A gathering where people celebrate love, peace, and kindness

3 4.3

Caring for your own happiness and well-being

2 3.3

A marriage or romantic relationship where both people love each other

love line
  • Jargon
1 8.7

A line on the palm that people say shows a person's emotions or romantic life

love bite
  • NSFW
1 7.4

A temporary mark on the skin made by kissing or sucking

calf love
  • Archaic
1 7.5

A short innocent romantic feeling that teenagers often have

An event that honors love and a romantic relationship, like a wedding

love and loss
  • Literature
1 4.4

Strong happy feelings for someone and the sadness that comes when they leave

love muscle
  • Offensive
1 9.8

A slang name for an upper arm or chest muscle men show off, sometimes meaning a man's penis

A nickname for the city of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, United States

courtly love
  • Literature
1 9.9

A medieval style of romance where a knight secretly praised a lady he could not marry

1 4.4

A child's deep love for their parents

love apple
  • Archaic
1 9.9

An old name for a tomato

1 7.2

A meal people often share in a church to bring them closer

love machine
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A device used for sexual pleasure

1 9.9

A common European wildflower with purple, yellow and white flowers that garden pansies come from

1 8.0

A small object given to show love for someone

self-love
  • Archaic
1 7.0

Having too much pride in your own looks or abilities

1 4.9

Strong romantic and physical attraction between two people that often includes intimate contact

cupboard love
  • Archaic
8.3

Love or attention shown to get a reward rather than real feeling

6.8

A strong feeling of sexual desire and attraction for another person

African love grass
  • South African
7.4

A grass from South Africa that grows in clumps and is often planted to stop soil erosion

agape love
  • Formal
6.5

Love for other people that is selfless and not sexual

lad's love
  • Archaic
9.9

A small plant with bitter, pleasant-smelling leaves used for tea and scent

9.9

A woman who often changes her lovers

9.9

A woman who falls in love easily and then leaves people

love grass
  • Specialized
9.0

A grass grown to feed animals and to stop soil from washing away

5.4

A decorative loop of rope or ribbon used as a sign of love

love button
  • Texting
4.5

A heart icon you tap to show you like or support a post

7.8

A scented cream or oil used to soften the skin and make people feel romantic

Words in a song or poem that express love

9.3

A small tree with bright purplish-red flowers that grow on its stems before leaves appear

9.9

A vine without leaves that wraps around and harms plants like clover, with small white bell-shaped flowers on orange-yellow stems

9.9

A quality or action that makes people feel cared for and happy

A garden flower with fine feathery leaves and small blue or white flowers

A tropical climbing flower with fine leaf parts and a strong smell when crushed

A small plant with white or pink flowers that blooms in late winter

love-philter
  • Archaic
9.9

A drink that makes a person fall in love with the giver

A tall plant from warm countries with long hanging red flowers whose leaves are eaten and seeds used like grain

8.4

A padlock attached to a place like a bridge by a couple to show their lasting love

A small metal lock shaped like a heart that couples attach to bridges

A way of loving in a relationship that grows and changes over time

Persian love tale
  • Literature
9.9

A traditional Persian story about famous lovers and deep longing

A romantic style that uses Persian music, poetry and colours

A small amount of care that makes something special

9.9

A romantic relationship shared by three partners

A grass that lives for many years from South Africa and grows in dense clumps to stop soil erosion

How Affectionate

worship
35 4.2
to adore
274 2.4
to love
1.0
to care for
349 1.9
to like
1.0

Surface Forms

love infinitive
loved past
loved past participle
loving present participle
loves third person singular

Etymology

To love (verb) comes from Old English lufu meaning 'affection' and is the same idea behind lover and lovely, so to love someone or something is to feel strong care or great pleasure in them.