INDEX:
1. to love someone especially in a sexual or romantic way
2. to start to love someone
3. to like someone a lot and care about them
4. a feeling of love
5. showing that you love someone
6. someone you love
7. stories, films etc about love
8. not loved
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ HATE
see also
↑ LIKE
↑ SEX
↑ SEXY
↑ RELATIONSHIP
↑ MARRY
↑ GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND
↑ GAY
↑ OBSESSION
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1. to love someone especially in a sexual or romantic way
▷ love /lʌv/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
to have a strong feeling of liking someone, caring about them, and being sexually attracted to them :
▪ He stroked her hair and murmured, ‘I love you.’
▪ He was the only man she had ever loved.
love somebody very much
▪ We still love each other very much.
▷ be in love /biː ɪn ˈlʌv/ [verb phrase]
to love someone very much, so that you think about them all the time and want to be with them all the time :
▪ I think I’m in love!
be in love with
▪ How can you marry Adam when you’re in love with someone else?
be madly in love/very much in love
very strongly in love
▪ We were both seventeen and madly in love.
▷ be crazy about /biː ˈkreɪzi əbaʊt/ [verb phrase] informal
to love someone very much, especially in a way that you cannot control :
▪ Jo’s crazy about you.
▷ fancy /ˈfænsi/ [transitive verb] British spoken
to be sexually attracted to someone, especially someone that you do not know very well :
▪ All the girls fancy Bob.
▪ I think Stevie fancies you.
▷ have a crush on /ˌhæv ə ˈkrʌʃ ɒn/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
if someone, especially a young person, has a crush on someone they have an uncontrollable feeling of love for them, especially when there is no chance of having a relationship with them :
▪ It is quite normal for adolescents to have crushes on pop stars.
▪ The only reason I went to church every Sunday was that I had a crush on the minister.
▷ be infatuated /biː ɪnˈfætʃueɪtə̇d/ [adjective]
to have a strong and uncontrollable feeling of love for someone you do not know very well, which does not last for a long time :
▪ Ever since she met Rod at a party she’s been totally infatuated.
be infatuated with
▪ Teenage girls sometimes become infatuated with their teachers.
infatuation /ɪnˌfætʃuˈeɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
▪ I thought I was in love with Darren, but it was just infatuation.
▷ be besotted /biː bɪˈsɒtə̇dǁ-ˈsɑː-/ [verb phrase]
to be so much in love with someone that you do not behave sensibly or think clearly :
▪ She was too besotted to see what he was really like.
be besotted with
▪ He was obviously besotted with Julia.
2. to start to love someone
▷ fall in love /ˌfɔːl ɪn ˈlʌv/ [verb phrase]
to begin to be in love with someone :
▪ I suddenly realized that I’d fallen in love.
fall in love with
▪ I think I fell in love with Ralph the first time I met him.
▷ fall/be head-over-heels (in love) /fɔːl, biː ˌhed əʊvəʳ ˌhiːlz (ɪn ˈlʌv)/ [verb phrase]
to suddenly start to love someone a lot :
▪ I met Sam at college, and immediately fell head-over-heels in love with him.
▪ I was head-over-heels in love with someone who barely even noticed me.
▷ fall for /ˈfɔːl fɔːʳ/ [transitive phrasal verb] informal
to start to love someone :
▪ She always seems to fall for the wrong type of man.
▪ I fell for Dan almost immediately.
▷ love at first sight /ˌlʌv ət fɜːʳst ˈsaɪt/ [noun phrase]
a situation in which you start to love someone the first time you see them :
▪ When I met Tracy it was love at first sight.
▪ I don’t believe in love at first sight.
▷ sweep somebody off their feet /ˌswiːp somebody ɒf ðeəʳ ˈfiːt/ [verb phrase]
if someone sweeps you off your feet, you start to love them very quickly, especially when you do not expect it to happen :
▪ Then Peter came into my life and swept me off my feet.
▪ She’s just waiting to be swept off her feet by a handsome stranger.
3. to like someone a lot and care about them
▷ love /lʌv/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
to love someone in your family, so that you care a lot about what happens to them, and you want them to be happy :
▪ I really believed that my parents didn’t love me.
▪ He loved his stepdaughter as if she were his own child.
▷ close /kləʊs/ [adjective not usually before noun]
if people are close, they enjoy being together and they know and understand each other’s feelings and thoughts :
▪ My sister and I used to argue a lot, but now we’re very close.
▪ We have always been a close family.
close to
▪ I’m still very close to my parents.
▷ be fond of /biː ˈfɒnd ɒvǁ-ˈfɑːnd-/ [verb phrase]
to like someone very much, especially after spending a long time with them and getting to know them :
▪ I’m very fond of my sister’s children.
▪ All teachers have children that they are particularly fond of.
▪ We were all very fond of Mr Edwards.
▷ care /keəʳ/ [intransitive verb not in progressive]
to feel love and concern for someone :
▪ She thinks we’re interfering but we’re only doing it because we care.
▪ Buy her some flowers to show her you really care.
care about
▪ I’m very lucky to have a husband, family and friends who care about me.
▪ Of course I care about Kirsty - that’s why I want to help her.
▷ adore /əˈdɔːʳ/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
to love someone very much and feel proud of them :
▪ Branwell Bronte adored his sister Anne.
▪ She adores her grandchildren and is always buying them presents.
▷ worship /ˈwɜːʳʃɪp/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
to love and admire someone very much :
▪ He worshipped his elder brother.
worship the ground somebody walks on
love someone very much, even if they behave badly
▪ In Susie’s eyes he can do no wrong - she worships the ground he walks on.
▷ be devoted to /biː dɪˈvəʊtə̇d tuː/ [verb phrase]
to love someone very much and be very loyal to them or spend all your time with them :
▪ He is a good man, devoted to his wife and children.
▷ dote on /ˈdəʊt ɒn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to love someone, especially someone younger than you, very much and show this by your actions :
▪ He’d do anything for his children - he really dotes on them.
▪ She obviously dotes on her grandson.
▪ You should visit your aunt more often, you know how she dotes on you all.
▷ think the world of /ˌθɪŋk ðə ˈwɜːʳld ɒv/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
to love and respect someone so much that they are very important in your life :
▪ We all thought the world of Isaac and were devastated when he died.
▪ He thinks the world of his uncle.
4. a feeling of love
▷ love /lʌv/ [uncountable noun]
a feeling of love, either for someone that you are sexually attracted to, or for a member of your family :
▪ All children need love, attention, and encouragement.
love for
▪ She was never able to express her love for Henry.
unrequited love
romantic love that you feel for someone, but that they do not feel for you
▪ She nourishes a secret, unrequited love for Harry.
▷ affection /əˈfekʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
a gentle feeling of love for a friend or member of your family, which makes you want to be kind to them and show them that you love them :
▪ She never seemed to show us any affection.
▪ children who have been starved of affection
affection for
▪ Alison and I had been at school together, and I felt great affection for her.
▷ devotion /dɪˈvəʊʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
a strong feeling of loving and being loyal to someone, especially over a long period of time :
▪ She had given her husband years of devotion and support.
▪ Mary expected complete devotion from her lovers.
▷ passion /ˈpæʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
a strong and exciting feeling of love for someone you are extremely sexually attracted to :
▪ All the passion in their marriage has died.
▪ He loved her still, with just the same passion as he always had.
▷ infatuation /ɪnˌfætʃuˈeɪʃ ə n/ [countable/uncountable noun]
unreasonably strong feelings of love that you have for only a short time, especially for someone that you do not know very well :
▪ She hoped that his ridiculous infatuation would soon wear off.
infatuation with/for
▪ His infatuation with Diane seemed to be growing.
5. showing that you love someone
▷ affectionate /əˈfekʃ ə nɪt, əˈfekʃ ə nət/ [adjective]
someone who is affectionate shows that they are very fond of another person by the way they behave towards them, for example by holding or kissing them :
▪ She’s a very affectionate child.
▪ He gave me an affectionate hug and then left.
▷ romantic /rəʊˈmæntɪk, rə-/ [adjective]
something that is romantic gives you a feeling of love for your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife etc - use this about places, or things people do or say :
▪ We went for a lovely romantic walk by the lake.
▪ Paris is such a romantic city.
▪ I’ve always thought it would be so romantic to be serenaded.
▷ loving /ˈlʌvɪŋ/ [adjective]
behaving in a way that shows that you love someone, especially a member of your family :
▪ Her husband was loving and supportive throughout her long illness.
▪ She was a devoted wife and a very loving mother.
▷ passionate /ˈpæʃ ə nɪt, ˈpæʃ ə nət/ [adjective]
involving strong feelings of sexual love :
▪ She longed to have a mad, passionate affair with him.
▪ As they got to know each other better, their love grew deeper and more passionate.
▷ tender /ˈtendəʳ/ [adjective]
loving and gentle, especially because you are concerned about someone :
▪ When she spoke, her voice was full of tender concern.
▪ Fleury saw an expression of tender devotion come over his father’s face.
tender loving care
▪ I was feeling rather fragile, and in need of tender loving care.
tenderness [uncountable noun]
▪ He looked after his wife with infinite care and tenderness.
▷ lovesick /ˈlʌvˌsɪk/ [adjective]
spending all your time thinking about someone you love, especially someone who does not love you :
▪ He knew he was behaving like a lovesick teenager.
▷ devoted /dɪˈvəʊtɪd, dɪˈvəʊtəd/ [adjective only before noun]
very loving and loyal towards someone :
▪ With the support of his devoted wife, he carried on writing until the age of 73.
▪ They remained devoted friends for many years.
▷ doting /ˈdəʊtɪŋ/ [adjective only before noun]
doting mother/grandparent/husband etc
a mother, grandparent etc that shows that they love someone, especially someone younger, by paying them a lot of attention :
▪ The doting grandmother smiled and chatted about how well the boy was doing at school.
▪ She managed to find a rich and doting husband for herself.
▷ lovey-dovey/gooey /ˌlʌvi ˈdʌvi◂, ˈguːi/ [adjective] informal
expressing your love for someone in a way that other people think is silly :
▪ It is possible to love someone without going all gooey over them.
▪ We ended up sitting next to a lovey-dovey couple.
6. someone you love
▷ somebody’s loved ones / somebodyˈs ˈlʌvd wʌnz/ [plural noun]
the people you love, especially the members of your family :
▪ Many prisoners find it difficult being separated from their loved ones.
▪ They are fighting to protect their loved ones from oppression and violence.
▷ the one you love /ðə ˌwʌn juː ˈlʌv/ [noun phrase]
your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife - used especially in advertisements or sayings :
▪ Flowers are the perfect gift for the one you love.
▪ You know what they say: you always hurt the one you love.
▷ the love of your life /ðə ˌlʌv əv jɔːʳ ˈlaɪf/ [noun phrase]
the person who you have loved the most in your life :
▪ Claude has always been the love of her life.
▪ He knew as soon as he met her that Sumana would be the love of his life.
▷ old flame /ˌəʊld ˈfleɪm/ [countable noun]
someone who was your girlfriend or boyfriend in the past, especially someone that you still like :
▪ I met up with an old flame, and we sat and chatted for a while.
7. stories, films etc about love
▷ romance/love story /rəʊˈmæns, ˈrəʊmæns, ˈlʌv ˌstɔːri/ [countable noun]
a story about two people who are in love with each other :
▪ The book is very exciting, as well as being a wonderful love story.
▪ a well-known writer of popular romances
▷ romantic /rəʊˈmæntɪk, rə-/ [adjective]
a romantic story or film is about people who are in love :
▪ a romantic comedy in which Meg Ryan plays a single mother looking for love
8. not loved
▷ unloved /ˌʌnˈlʌvd◂/ [adjective]
not loved by someone or anyone :
▪ As a child I felt very unloved.
▪ He was the unloved son of an unhappy marriage.