noun, verb, loved, lov⋅ing.| 1. | a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. |
| 2. | a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend. |
| 3. | sexual passion or desire. |
| 4. | a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart. |
| 5. | (used in direct address as a term of endearment, affection, or the like): Would you like to see a movie, love? |
| 6. | a love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour. |
| 7. | sexual intercourse; copulation. |
| 8. | (initial capital letter ) a personification of sexual affection, as Eros or Cupid. |
| 9. | affectionate concern for the well-being of others: the love of one's neighbor. |
| 10. | strong predilection, enthusiasm, or liking for anything: her love of books. |
| 11. | the object or thing so liked: The theater was her great love. |
| 12. | the benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God. |
| 13. | Chiefly Tennis. a score of zero; nothing. |
| 14. | a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter L. |
| 15. | to have love or affection for: All her pupils love her. |
| 16. | to have a profoundly tender, passionate affection for (another person). |
| 17. | to have a strong liking for; take great pleasure in: to love music. |
| 18. | to need or require; benefit greatly from: Plants love sunlight. |
| 19. | to embrace and kiss (someone), as a lover. |
| 20. | to have sexual intercourse with. |
| 21. | to have love or affection for another person; be in love. |
| 22. | love up, to hug and cuddle: She loves him up every chance she gets. |
| 23. | for love,
|
| 24. | for the love of, in consideration of; for the sake of: For the love of mercy, stop that noise. |
| 25. | in love, infused with or feeling deep affection or passion: a youth always in love. |
| 26. | in love with, feeling deep affection or passion for (a person, idea, occupation, etc.); enamored of: in love with the girl next door; in love with one's work. |
| 27. | make love,
|
| 28. | no love lost, dislike; animosity: There was no love lost between the two brothers. |

for the love of
For the sake of, in consideration of. For example, She signed up for all these volunteer jobs for the love of praise. [c. 1200]
for the love of Pete or Mike or God. An exclamation of surprise, exasperation, or some similar feeling, as in For the love of Pete, give me the money! James Joyce used this idiom in Ulysses (1922): "For the love of Mike listen to him." Pete and Mike are euphemisms for God. [Early 1900s] Also see for the sake of, def. 3.