use-icon

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

use-icon

THE USAGE PANEL

The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.

The Panelists

open-icon

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.

scroll-icon

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.

100-words-icon

See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series!

Find out more!

open-icon

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com

love (lŭv)
Share:
n.
1. A strong feeling of affection and concern toward another person, as that arising from kinship or close friendship.
2. A strong feeling of affection and concern for another person accompanied by sexual attraction.
3.
a. A feeling of devotion or adoration toward God or a god.
b. A feeling of kindness or concern by God or a god toward humans.
c. often Love Christianity Charity.
4.
a. Sexual desire or activity: the pleasures of love; a night of love.
b. An instance of being in love: Teenage loves can be as fleeting as they are intense.
5.
a. A person for whom one has strong feelings of affection: She met her new love at the restaurant.
b. Used as a term of endearment for such a person.
6. An intense emotional attachment to something, as to a pet or treasured object.
7. An expression of one's affection: Send him my love.
8.
a. A strong predilection or enthusiasm: a love of language; love for the game of golf.
b. The object of such an enthusiasm: The outdoors is her greatest love.
9. Love Mythology Eros or Cupid.
10. Sports A score of zero, as in tennis.
v. loved, lov·ing, loves
v.tr.
1. To feel love for (a person): We love our parents. I love my friends.
2. To feel sexual love for (a person).
3.
a. To feel devotion to (God or a god).
b. To feel or show kindness or concern to (a person). Used of God or a god.
4. To have an intense emotional attachment to: loves his house.
5.
a. To embrace or caress: They were loving each other on the sofa.
b. To have sexual intercourse with.
6. To like or desire enthusiastically: loves swimming.
7. To thrive on; need: The cactus loves hot, dry air.
v.intr.
To feel love or sexual love for another.
Idioms:
for love
Out of compassion; with no thought for a reward: She volunteers at the hospital for love.
for love or money
Under any circumstances. Usually used in negative sentences: I would not do that for love or money.
for the love of
For the sake of; in consideration for: did it all for the love of praise.
in love
1. Deeply or passionately enamored: a young couple in love.
2. Highly or immoderately fond: in love with Japanese painting; in love with the sound of her own voice.
no love lost
No affection; animosity: There's no love lost between them.
[Middle English, from Old English lufu; see leubh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

American Heritage Dictionary Products