Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - love

~1 v 1 »ROMANTIC ATTRACTION« to have a strong feeling of caring for and liking someone, combined with sexual attraction  (I love you, really. Do you love me? | He was the only man she had ever loved.) 2 »CARE ABOUT« to care very much about someone, especially a member of your family or a close friend  (Children need to feel loved. | much-loved/greatly-loved/well-loved)  (one of America's best-loved TV personalities | loved ones (=people you love))  (women caring for loved ones who had been injured in the war) 3 »LIKE/ENJOY« T not in passive to like something very much or enjoy doing something very much  (love doing sth)  (Max found that he really loved teaching. | love sth)  (I love carrots. | She loves anything to do with figures. | love to do sth)  (We all love to talk about ourselves. | I love the way she sings that. | I'd love to spoken (=used to say that you would really like to do something))  ("Would you like to come swimming with us?" "I'd love to." | I'd have loved to have stayed till the end. | I'd love to know just why they did that.) 4 I must love you and leave you spoken used to tell someone that you have to go, especially when you wish you could stay longer 5 »LOYALTY« to have a strong feeling of loyalty to your country, an institution etc  (He really loved the police force.) 6 I love it! spoken used when you are amused by something, especially by someone else's mistake or bad luck  ("Henry was telling the prof all about relativity." "I love it! I love it!") 7 she's going to love you/he's going to love this etc spoken a) used to say that someone will enjoy something  (Listen guys, you're going to love this.) b) used jokingly to say that someone will not be pleased about something  (I'm going to love telling him we've changed our minds again.)  (- see also lover) ~2 n 1 »FOR FAMILY/FRIENDS« a strong feeling of caring about someone, especially a member of your family or a close friend  (What these kids need is love and support.) + for  (a mother's love for her child)  (- opposite hate2, hatred) 2 »ROMANTIC« a strong feeling of liking and caring about someone, especially combined with sexual attraction  (She's seen him every day this week - it must be love! | a love song | be/fall in love (with))  (I think I'm falling in love with your brother. | madly in love/very much in love/head over heels in love)  (It was obvious that they were very much in love. | love at first sight (=when you love someone the first time you see them) | true love (=strong romantic love that remains for ever)) 3 »PERSON YOU LOVE« someone that you feel a strong romantic and sexual attraction to  (He was her first love. | the love of your life (=the person that you have loved most of your life)) 4 »PLEASURE/ENJOYMENT« a) a strong feeling of pleasure and enjoyment that something gives you  (love of/for)  (a love of nature) b) something that gives you a lot of pleasure and enjoyment  (Sailing was her great love.) 5 make love a) to have sex with someone that you love  (make love to/with)  ("I want to make love with you," she breathed.) b) old use to say loving things to someone, to kiss them etc 6 send your love (to) to ask someone to give your loving greetings to someone else when they see them, write to them etc  (Aunt Mary sends her love to you.) 7 give my love to spoken used to ask someone to give your loving greetings to someone else  ("Bye! Give my love to Jackie.") 8 love (from)/lots of love/all my love expressions used at the end of a letter to a friend, a member of your family, or someone you love  (See you soon. Lots of love, Clare.) 9 (my) love spoken a) especially BrE a word used when you are talking to someone you love  (Hurry up, love!) b) BrE a friendly way of talking to someone who you do not know, especially to a woman  (Are you OK, love?) 10 be a love and ... / ... there's a love spoken especially BrE expressions used when you are asking someone to do something, used especially to children and members of your family  (Say hello to your auntie, there's a love.) 11 there is no love lost between if there is no love lost between two people, they dislike each other  (There's never been any love lost between Paul and Geoff.) 12 »TENNIS« an expression meaning no points, used in the game of tennis 13 not for love or/nor money informal if you cannot get something or do something for love or money, it is impossible to obtain or to do  (I can't get hold of that book for love nor money.) 14 for the love of God/Mike etc old-fashioned spoken used to show that you are extremely angry, disappointed etc 15 love nest humorous a place where two people who are having a romantic relationship live or meet each other  (- see also a labour of love labour1 (4))