: to electronically register one's approval of (something, such as an online post or comment) for others to see (as by clicking on an icon designed for that purpose)
[Brittany] Bunker then thanked the 477,000 people who had liked her post for their support …—Natalie Cornish
How he picked out this seemingly random user and went ahead and liked the tweet is really surprising …—Zach Pereles
—used interjectionally in informal speech often to emphasize a word or phrase (as in "He was, like, gorgeous") or for an apologetic, vague, or unassertive effect (as in "I need to, like, borrow some money")
they raven down scenery like children do sweetmeats—John Keats
3
a
: in the way or manner that
the violin sounds like an old masterpiece should
did it like you told me
b
—used interjectionally in informal speech often with the verb be to introduce a quotation, paraphrase, or thought expressed by or imputed to the subject of the verb, or with it's to report a generally held opinion
so I'm like, "Give me a break"
it's like, "Who cares what he thinks?"
4
: such as
a bag like a doctor carries
when your car has trouble—like when it won't start
—used interjectionally in informal speech
often stays up late, until like three in the morning
Like vs. as: Usage Guide
Like has been used as a conjunction in ways similar to as since the 14th century. In the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries it was used in serious literature, but not often; in the 17th and 18th centuries it grew more frequent but less literary. It became markedly more frequent in literary use again in the 19th century. By mid-century it was coming under critical fire, but not from grammarians, oddly enough, who were wrangling over whether it could be called a preposition or not. There is no doubt that, after 600 years of use, conjunctive like is firmly established. It has been used by many prestigious literary figures of the past, though perhaps not in their most elevated works; in modern use it may be found in literature, journalism, and scholarly writing. While the present objection to it is perhaps more heated than rational, someone writing in a formal prose style may well prefer to use as, as if, such as, or an entirely different construction instead.
Verb
He likes baseball, but he loves football.
Do you like Mexican food?
I liked the movie a lot more than I thought I would.
I don't know what it is about that guy, but I just don't like him.
They were political allies who truly liked each other.
What is it that you like or dislike about him most?
She says she likes him as a friend but she's not attracted to him.
My boss was a tough guy, but I liked him for his honesty. Adjective
you're not talking about like things when you compare football and golf Preposition
The house looks like a barn.
It's like when we were kids.
She's not at all like her sister.
The baby is more like his mother than his father.
“Who is he like?” “He's not like anyone I've ever met before.” Adverb
the cat would curl up, tightly like, and just go to sleep
the distance is more like 500 miles Conjunction
it looks like it's going to rain at any moment
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Haaland likes to say that no one ever asked her to run for office.—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2024 Erin Mansfield: So the RNC, the Republican National Committee and certain affiliates like state committees and some committee members are going pretty much state to state.—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 29 Apr. 2024 On nights spent at home, Cruz likes to have friends over to play Werewolf, a social game not that different from the TV series Traitors.—Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 28 Apr. 2024 Even manicurist Georgia Rae, who typically likes to keep her nails classic and natural, acknowledges that summer is exactly the right time to have a little fun.—Lauren Murdoch-Smith, Vogue, 28 Apr. 2024 Clematis will grow best in the full sun; however, the roots like to be shaded.—Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 27 Apr. 2024 Brennan Jackson, Edge, Washington St., Sr., 6-4, 264 Coaches will probably like the Temecula native more than scouts do.—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2024 The overwhelming majority of the people who are protesting, who feel strongly about this issue, do not like Hamas.—Michael Levitt, NPR, 27 Apr. 2024 This herb's strong smell can repel some of the pests that like to turn okra into a buffet.—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 17 Apr. 2024
Preposition
But for the public, Binder said, there’s a much more practical way to help solve cold cases like Yager’s: donate your genetic information by taking a DNA test offered by a commercial genealogy database.—Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024 Meteorite dials were discontinued for Daytona models in 2023, making pieces like Alcaraz’s a hot commodity.—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2024 Similarly, NFTs have the potential to revolutionize sectors like ticketing, music rights management, and even physical asset verification, bringing a new level of transparency and security to these areas.—William Mullane, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Apr. 2024 Park spent a good deal of time watching the Disney Channel, cartoons, and movies like Mean Girls.—Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, 20 Apr. 2024 With visionary leaders like Tobok at the helm, the future of cybersecurity holds promise, empowering organizations to navigate the complexities of the digital age with confidence and certainty.—Nick Kasmik, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024 Travelers are drawn to natural phenomena like the bone-white cliffs of former pirate lair Kleftiko and Sikia sea cave with azure waters ideal for snorkeling.—Helen Iatrou, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2024 At the dawn of the Holocene, the global population was maybe four million—barely enough to fill a city like Sydney or St. Petersburg.—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024 And in fact, many wealthy people, like Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffet, have endorsed the logic behind the proposal for years.—Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 20 Apr. 2024
Noun
Among the other nominees and presenters were the likes of Sharon Horgan, Neil Jordan, Jim Sheridan Eve Hewson, Kerry Condon, Pierce Brosnan and Alisha Weir, as were Kneecap, the Irish rap band whose comedy biopic was one of the buzziest titles out of Sundance.—Alex Ritman, Variety, 20 Apr. 2024 Saturday: Tyler, the Creator is scheduled as the headliner and will be joined by likes of Ice Spice, Sublime, Grimes, Jon Batiste, and Dom Dolla, among others.—Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024 There are nearly six goals a game on average, and while Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are still producing, Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and Nathan MacKinnon are in their prime with another wave of talent led by the likes of Connor Bedard not far behind.—Stephen Whyno, Quartz, 16 Apr. 2024 While many of history’s most successful startups—including the likes of Nvidia Corp.—were born in the U.S., the bulk of hardware innovation now centers on Asia.—Jane Lanhee Lee / Bloomberg, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024 Raye has written for the likes of Beyoncé, including on Cowboy Carter.—Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2024 Details in Chinese media reports include that Yellen ate at a storied restaurant in Guangzhou frequented by the likes of Chinese modernist writer Lu Xun.—Lily Kuo, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024 That includes titles by the likes of Charles Dickens, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edgar Allan Poe, and Arthur Conan Doyle.—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2024 The agreement will allow both countries to work together to evaluate private AI models built by the likes of OpenAI and Google and was modeled on past collaboration on matters related to intelligence and security.—John Kell, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024
Adverb
How has like been treating you since becoming a mother?—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 12 Apr. 2024 What was traffic like on In-N-Out's first day in Flagstaff?
As of 11:30 a.m., the drive-thru line was an hour and a half long, according to a security and traffic control worker at In-N-Out.—Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024 For a tiny hint of what that’s like, check out his speech when Yes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2024 The face of the watch isn’t flush like on the Active models, however.—Brandon Widder, The Verge, 16 Dec. 2023 Jeezy is opening up like never before in a new interview with Nia Long.—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 8 Nov. 2023 The trick to wearing glasses that take up half your face is to choose a pair that’s mostly clear—or even better with subtle colored lenses like at Etro or Missoni.—Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2023 From his relationship with Amber Heard to quietly welcoming a third baby with Grimes, here are some of the most surprising revelations from the new book
Elon Musk is opening up like never before in a new biography that's creating headlines.—David Chiu, Peoplemag, 12 Sep. 2023 On the back of each gift card, Best Buy warns customers to never use it for payment outside of Best Buy like for bills, bail or taxes.—USA TODAY, 23 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'like.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb and Noun (1)
Middle English, from Old English līcian; akin to Old English gelīc alike
Adjective
Middle English, alteration of ilich, from Old English gelīc like, alike, from ge-, associative prefix + līc body; akin to Old High German gilīh like, alike, Lithuanian lygus like — more at co-
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