love child

noun

plural love children

1

: a child whose parents were not married when the child was conceived

especially : the child of an affair

My older sister, Jean Marie, was the love child of an affair my mother had with a married man who, instead of leaving his wife for my mother, died of a heart attack.

—William Skeans, Jr.

—often used figuratively

A pair of furry Ugg slides that are basically a love child of your comfiest slippers and practical summer sandals.

—Kaysey Davis

2

: something (such as a project or collaboration) that is a product of hard work and devotion

The museum is the love child of the company's owner, Jacques Lorch, who for twenty-five years has been ferreting out artifacts pertaining to the subject that is his passion.

—Naomi Barry

Synonyms of love child

• whoreson
• by-blow

Examples of love child in a Sentence

the love child of a famous actor and one of his fans

a woman who claimed to be the love child of two of Hollywood's most beloved stars during its golden age

Recent Examples on the Web

At the same time, 2022’s Scream introduced audiences to Billy Loomis’s secret love child — Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), conspicuously missing here — so all bets are off. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026

With 2022's Scream and 2023's Scream 6, Barrera became the new lead of the meta horror franchise as Sam Carpenter, the secret love child of deceased Ghostface killer Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), who returned in ghost form to taunt her daughter from beyond the grave. —Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Feb. 2026

Pinky Swear Pinky Swear is the zany love child of a contemporary art gallery and a groovy cocktail lounge—think the multisensory cacophony of the immersive art experience Meow Wolf. —Andrea Strong, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 Feb. 2026

Here, that plump short-grain rice takes on a wonderfully varied texture when roasted — with a soft chew at the center and edges, as if mochi and a potato chip had a love child. —The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for love child

• domiciled
• reconciled
• undefiled
• beguiled
• brainchild
• compiled
• defiled
• exiled
• grandchild
• profiled
• refiled
• reviled