lover

noun

lov·​er ˈlə-vər 

1

a

: a person in love

b

lovers plural : two persons in love with each other

2

: an affectionate or benevolent friend

3

: devotee

a lover of mystery novels

a lover of nature

4

a

: paramour

Her husband found a love letter from her lover.

b

: a person with whom one has sexual relations

He was her first lover.

Synonyms of lover

• fan
• sucker
• enthusiast
• fanatic
• admirer

Examples of lover in a Sentence

His wife accused him of having a secret lover.

She left her husband and ran away with her lover.

Recent Examples on the Web

Hoffman got on the video call Friday wearing a T-shirt featuring the lovers in the TV show Heated Rivalry. — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026

For the aesthetes who have already seen the latest exhibition at MoMA, this weekend guide for design lovers is intended to point you in a few other directions (and no, this does not include that viral room full of dirt in SoHo). — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 2026

Midnight is full of clocks and mirrors, and Hall often structures songs and plot points around countdowns to midnight, when his lovers meet in secret. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026

Pleasure and pain arrive together, in the same body and at the same time, before the lover is even able to distinguish them. — Stacy Keltner, The Conversation, 30 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing lover

• lover boy
• secret lover
• true lover's knot

Rhymes for lover

• cover
• hover
• plover
• discover
• hardcover
• recover
• thereover
• uncover
• rediscover
• undercover

Kids Definition

lover

noun

lov·​er ˈləv-ər 

1

a

: a person in love

b

plural : two persons in love with each other

2

: devotee

a lover of music

3

a

: paramour

b

: a person with whom one has sexual relations

Biographical Definition

Lover

biographical name

Lov·​er ˈlə-vər 

Samuel 1797–1868 Irish novelist