love

1. a strong feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, such as for a parent, child, friend, or pet:

   He bent and kissed his newborn daughter on the brow, his heart full of love and gratitude.

   Synonyms: friendliness, regard, inclination, liking

   Antonyms: dislike, hatred

2. a profoundly tender, passionate affection, often mingled with sexual desire, for another person:

   The couple’s ardent love for each other, poured out in these love letters, survived their wartime separation.

   Synonyms: tenderness, adoration, passion, warmth, predilection, fondness

   Antonyms: dislike, hatred

3. sexual passion or desire.
4. active, self-giving concern for the well-being of others:

   Love of one's neighbor is the greatest virtue.

   What this suffering world needs is more love.

5. a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart:

   I long to be with you, my love.

   He was my first and only love.

6. (used as a term of endearment, affection, or the like):

   Would you like to see a movie, love?

7. a love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour:

   It's the story of her many loves, told through the eyes of a journalist.

8. sexual intercourse; copulation.
9. Love, a personification of sexual affection, as Eros or Cupid.
10. strong enthusiasm or liking for anything:

    His huge personal library testified to his love of books.

11. a thing for which one has a strong enthusiasm or liking:

    The theater was her great love.

12. Religion. the benevolent affection and deep compassion of God for all creatures, or the reverent devotion returned from them to God.
13. Chiefly Tennis. a score of zero; nothing.
14. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter L.

1. to have a warm personal attachment to or deep affection for:

   All her students love her.

   I fuss over you, I know, but I love you and I want you to be safe.

   Synonyms: like

   Antonyms: hate, detest

2. to have a profoundly tender, passionate affection, often mingled with sexual desire, for (another person).

   Synonyms: worship, adulate, adore

   Antonyms: hate, detest

3. to feel a strong liking for or take great pleasure in; enjoy actively and with enthusiasm:

   I love music.

   He's loving his new job.

4. to feel or show active, self-giving concern for:

   Love your neighbor—even the one you don’t like.

5. to feel or express reverent devotion toward; adore.
6. to need or require; benefit greatly from:

   Plants love sunlight.

7. to have sexual intercourse with.
8. to embrace and kiss (someone), as a lover.

1. to have love or affection for another person; be in love:

   Those who have never loved will not understand what I am saying.

verb phrase

1. to hug and cuddle:

   She loves that little guy up every chance she gets.