Library / English Dictionary

LOVE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Sexual activities (often including sexual intercourse) between two people

Example:

he has a very complicated love life

Synonyms:

love; love life; lovemaking; making love; sexual love

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("love" is a kind of...):

sex; sex activity; sexual activity; sexual practice (activities associated with sexual intercourse)

Derivation:

love (have sexual intercourse with)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Any object of warm affection or devotion

Example:

he has a passion for cock fighting

Synonyms:

love; passion

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("love" is a kind of...):

object (the focus of cognitions or feelings)

Derivation:

love (have a great affection or liking for)

love (be enamored or in love with)

love (get pleasure from)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A deep feeling of sexual desire and attraction

Example:

she was his first love

Synonyms:

erotic love; love; sexual love

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Hypernyms ("love" is a kind of...):

concupiscence; eros; physical attraction; sexual desire (a desire for sexual intimacy)

Derivation:

love (have sexual intercourse with)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A strong positive emotion of regard and affection

Example:

children need a lot of love

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Hypernyms ("love" is a kind of...):

emotion (any strong feeling)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "love"):

loyalty (feelings of allegiance)

caring; lovingness (a loving feeling)

heartstrings (your deepest feelings of love and compassion)

benevolence (disposition to do good)

devotedness; devotion (feelings of ardent love)

calf love; crush; infatuation; puppy love (temporary love of an adolescent)

amorousness; enamoredness (a feeling of love or fondness)

ardor; ardour (intense feeling of love)

filial love (the love of a child for a parent)

agape ((Christian theology) the love of God or Christ for mankind)

agape; agape love (selfless love of one person for another without sexual implications (especially love that is spiritual in nature))

adoration; worship (a feeling of profound love and admiration)

Antonym:

hate (the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action)

Derivation:

love (have a great affection or liking for)

love (be enamored or in love with)

love (get pleasure from)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A beloved person; used as terms of endearment

Synonyms:

beloved; dear; dearest; honey; love

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("love" is a kind of...):

lover (a person who loves someone or is loved by someone)

Derivation:

love (be enamored or in love with)

love (have a great affection or liking for)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A score of zero in tennis or squash

Example:

it was 40 love

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Hypernyms ("love" is a kind of...):

score (a number that expresses the accomplishment of a team or an individual in a game or contest)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Have sexual intercourse with

Example:

Were you ever intimate with this man?

Synonyms:

bang; be intimate; bed; bonk; do it; eff; fuck; get it on; get laid; have a go at it; have intercourse; have it away; have it off; have sex; hump; jazz; know; lie with; love; make love; make out; roll in the hay; screw; sleep together; sleep with

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "love" is one way to...):

copulate; couple; mate; pair (engage in sexual intercourse)

Verb group:

make out; neck (kiss, embrace, or fondle with sexual passion)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "love"):

have; take (have sex with; archaic use)

fornicate (have sex without being married)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

love (sexual activities (often including sexual intercourse) between two people)

love (a deep feeling of sexual desire and attraction)

lover (a significant other to whom you are not related by marriage)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Have a great affection or liking for

Example:

She loves her boss and works hard for him

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "love"):

love (be enamored or in love with)

care for; cherish; hold dear; treasure (be fond of; be attached to)

dote (shower with love; show excessive affection for)

adore (love intensely)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Antonym:

hate (dislike intensely; feel antipathy or aversion towards)

Derivation:

lover (an ardent follower and admirer)

lover (a person who loves someone or is loved by someone)

loveable (having characteristics that attract love or affection)

love (a beloved person; used as terms of endearment)

love (a strong positive emotion of regard and affection)

love (any object of warm affection or devotion)

lovable (having characteristics that attract love or affection)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Be enamored or in love with

Example:

She loves her husband deeply

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Hypernyms (to "love" is one way to...):

love (have a great affection or liking for)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "love"):

romance (have a love affair with)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

Sam cannot love Sue

Derivation:

lovable (having characteristics that attract love or affection)

love (any object of warm affection or devotion)

love (a strong positive emotion of regard and affection)

love (a beloved person; used as terms of endearment)

loveable (having characteristics that attract love or affection)

lover (a person who loves someone or is loved by someone)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Get pleasure from

Example:

I love cooking

Synonyms:

enjoy; love

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Hypernyms (to "love" is one way to...):

like (find enjoyable or agreeable)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "love"):

get off (enjoy in a sexual way)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE

Sentence example:

They love him to write the letter

Derivation:

love (any object of warm affection or devotion)

love (a strong positive emotion of regard and affection)

lover (a person who loves someone or is loved by someone)

lover (an ardent follower and admirer)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Clara, my love, have you forgotten?

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Enter the house of mourning, my friend, but with kindness and affection for those who love you, and not with hatred for your enemies.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

I may add that Miss Burnet’s age and character make it certain that my first idea that there might be a love interest in our story is out of the question.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Murray said the next step is to study whether adding vitamin A to antibiotics, given to family members of a loved one with TB, would offer additional protection against the disease.

(Vitamin A Supplement May Thwart Tuberculosis Infection, Jessica Berman/VOA)

In this context, the chemical properties of molybdenum play a key role because, as it is an iron-loving element, most of the Earth's molybdenum is located in the core.

(Moon’s Formation Brought Water to Earth, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

When asked about tracking animal poop, McConkey admitted, "I've got two boys so they just love what I do."

(Thai Elephants Help Spread Jungle Fruit's Seeds, Sadie Witkowski/VOA)

A state of sadness, grief, and mourning after the loss of a loved one.

(Bereavement, NCI Dictionary)

A question about whether an individual feels or felt that their love relationships are full and complete.

(Did You Feel That Your Love Relationships Were Full and Complete, NCI Thesaurus)

A question about whether an individual feels or felt loved and wanted.

(Have You Felt Loved and Wanted, NCI Thesaurus)

Treatment that helps a person work through a greater than normal reaction to a loss, such as the death of a loved one.

(Grief therapy, NCI Dictionary)