1
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 sense 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
loved; loving
1
: to hold dear : cherish
2
a
: to feel a lover's passion, devotion, or tenderness for
3
: to like or desire actively : take pleasure in
loved to play the violin
4
: to thrive in
the rose loves sunlight
: to feel affection or experience desire
Word Icons
Examples of love in a Sentence
Noun
… 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.
Verb
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.
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.
Verb
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 on the Web
Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
The two may share a love of poetry, but when feelings seemingly grow, obstacles begin to put a stop to their relationship.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2025
Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Each necklace has three flashing modes: fast blinking, slow blinking and steady on.
Add some fun to any Independence Day outfit with these patriotic headbands and glasses your kids are sure to love.
—Christopher Murray
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for love
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
That is true since the choice is between spending another six years navigating the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington or spending that time with the love of my life Susan, our two children, three beautiful grandchildren, and the rest of our extended family back home.
—Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
The two may share a love of poetry, but when feelings seemingly grow, obstacles begin to put a stop to their relationship.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2025
Verb
Nothing is not so much a company as a global community mad euphoria of more than three million people who love the fusion of innovative technology and cutting-edge design.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Each necklace has three flashing modes: fast blinking, slow blinking and steady on.
Add some fun to any Independence Day outfit with these patriotic headbands and glasses your kids are sure to love.
—Christopher Murray
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for love
Cite this Entry
“Love.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/love. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
love
1 of 2 noun1
: a quality or feeling of strong or constant affection for and dedication to another
motherly love
2
a
: attraction based on sexual desire : the strong affection and tenderness felt by lovers
b
: a beloved person : darling
3
a
: warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion
love of the sea
b
: the object of attachment or devotion
4
: a score of zero in tennis
love
2 of 2 verb
loved; loving
1
: to hold dear : cherish
2
a
: to feel a lover's passion, devotion, or tenderness for
b
: to touch or stroke lightly
3
: to like or desire actively : take pleasure in
loved to play the violin
4
: to grow well in
the rose loves sunlight
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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