Definition of the word like

Recent Examples on the Web

But that doesn’t mean that the ES300h likes to hustle, as the droning of the gasoline engine, the numb steering, and the lackluster wheel control discourage aggressive back-road antics.


—Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, 11 Apr. 2023




This option may be more palatable to folks who don’t like the look of dandelions or creeping Charlie.


—Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Apr. 2023




Nonetheless, a satellite TV and internet bundle is an enticing option for those outside urban or suburban areas who would like both services.


—Stefanie Waldek, EW.com, 10 Apr. 2023




And, as Slack’s former CEO put it, the bottom line about the return to office, wherever companies land, is that people generally don’t like being told what to do.


—Jane Thier, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2023




Nobody likes falling out of the rotation.


—Dustin Dopirak, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Apr. 2023




Sigmund Freud liked to say that depression is anger turned inward.


—Erin Qualey, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2023




There are more Democrats who would like to see somebody else than Joe Biden.


—Nbc Universal, NBC News, 9 Apr. 2023




Temi likes Rihanna, the StairMaster, and tacos.


—Temi Adebowale, Men’s Health, 9 Apr. 2023

Actually, the platform has plenty of rules prohibiting harassment, hate speech, copyright violations and the like.


—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2023




Even if Trump’s legal woes end his political viability in a way that two impeachments and an election defeat to Joe Biden did not, many worry that he will be replaced by any number of Trump-like alternatives, of whom the Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, is the most prominent example.


—Mark Landler, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Apr. 2023




That’s how asafoetida lends its powerful umami-like punch to any dish.


—Priya Krishna, Bon Appétit, 2 Apr. 2023




Ride this open-air, whitewater rafting-like attraction, or opt for something more low-key in the splash area with mini waterslides, fountains, and more.


—Chelsee Lowe, Travel + Leisure, 2 Apr. 2023




The shapes are inspired by nature, such as shells and ginkgo leaves, which sometimes morph into flower-like forms.


—Damon Johnstun, oregonlive, 2 Apr. 2023




Conifer, Colorado At $9.5 million, this Colorado ranch encompasses 50 acres of pristine, park-like land.


—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 2 Apr. 2023




Now the bunker-like government building formed a haunting backdrop for the performance — both birthday observance and farewell.


—Patrick J. Mcdonnell, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2023




On first sight, this Fox sitcom seemed tailored entirely (and narrowly) to spotlight the specific pixie-like charms of its star, Zooey Deschanel.


—Jason Bailey, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2023

Joining the likes of Ana de Armas and Patrick Ta—Yeoh becomes the latest star to put her skin on display the La Mer way.


—ELLE, 4 Apr. 2023




All the while, Leon worked with the likes of Suzanne Vega, Joan Armatrading, the Police, Squeeze and Supertramp, among many more.


—William Earl, Variety, 4 Apr. 2023




On 31 March, shortly after Dior’s pre-fall extravaganza at the Gateway of India, the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre officially opened its doors in Mumbai, with the likes of Gigi Hadid, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Karlie Kloss turning out for the red-carpet launch.


—Akanksha Kamath, Vogue, 3 Apr. 2023




The firm also has offices in New York and Washington. Goulston & Storrs will join the likes of Sullivan & Worcester, a law firm that decided to stay in One Post Office Square, and Eaton Vance, a fund manager owned by Morgan Stanley that is moving there from International Place.


—Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Mar. 2023




Compound Gallery would go on to drop collaborations with the likes of Nike, Adidas and Stussy.


—oregonlive, 31 Mar. 2023




Jennifer Aniston has joined the likes of Florence Pugh and Rita Ora in their fight to help sheer fabric take over the world (or red carpets, at least).


—Carrie Wittmer, Glamour, 29 Mar. 2023




Right up there with the likes of Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots.


—Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 28 Mar. 2023




Compare that with the likes of Dwayne Johnson, Dave Bautista and Vin Diesel, who are still flexing their muscles onscreen past the age of 50.


—Josh Rottenberg, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2023

What’s not to like? Bailey makes for a promising leading actor.


—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 5 Apr. 2023




To enter, Facebook users can like their post about the giveaway, tag two friends and share for their chance to win.


—Rae Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 5 Apr. 2023




The families at Ninety-Fifth Street Elementary were mostly Black and Latino — except, teachers like to point out, for the Russian family that enrolled a few years back.


—Meg Bernhard, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2023




Home shoppers instantly liked the simple floor plan with a showoff picture window in the living room, space-saving galley kitchen and cluster of bedrooms, plus extra space to add on a family room.


—Jeastman, oregonlive, 5 Apr. 2023




Perhaps your dog would like them all!


—Zackery Cuevas, PCMAG, 4 Apr. 2023




Monica Lewinsky would like a word.


—Vulture, 4 Apr. 2023




But the historic arraignment of former president Donald Trump 225 miles away on charges related to a hush money payoff to an adult-film star was keenly watched by many here in Washington, a city that never much liked him and voted overwhelmingly against him.


—Omari Daniels, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2023




Scientists would like to know more about creatures living at extreme depths, but cost is the constraint, Jamieson said, adding that each lander alone costs them $200,000 to assemble and operate.


—Chris Lau, CNN, 3 Apr. 2023


See More

like ¹

 (līk)

v. liked, lik·ing, likes

v.tr.

1. To find pleasant or attractive; enjoy: Do you like ice cream? I like your style.

2.

a. To want to have: I would like some coffee.

b. To prefer: How would you like your coffee—with sugar or without?

3. To feel about; regard: How do you like these new theater seats?

4. To believe or predict that (a certain competitor) will win a contest: Which team do you like in tonight’s game?

5. To perform well under (a given condition) or using (a given feature): This car does not like cold weather. The engine does not like enriched fuel.

6. Archaic To be pleasing to.

v.intr.

1. To have an inclination or a preference: If you like, we can meet you there.

2. Scots To be pleased.

n.

Something that is liked; a preference: made a list of his likes and dislikes.

Idiom:

like it or not

No matter how one might feel: Like it or not, we have to get up early tomorrow.

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like ²

 (līk)

prep.

1. Possessing the characteristics of; resembling closely; similar to: Your house is like mine.

2.

a. In the typical manner of: It’s not like you to take offense.

b. In the same way as: lived like royalty.

3. Inclined or disposed to: felt like running away.

4. As if the probability exists for: looks like a bad year for farmers.

5. Such as; for example: saved things like old newspapers and pieces of string.

adj.

Possessing the same or almost the same characteristics; similar: on this and like occasions.

adv.

1. In the manner of being; as if. Used as an intensifier of action: worked like hell; ran like crazy.

2. Informal Probably; likely: Like as not she’ll change her mind.

3. Nearly; approximately: The price is more like 1,000 dollars.

4. Nonstandard Used to provide emphasis or to focus attention on something: Let’s like talk about this for a minute. It’s like so crowded you can’t move.

n.

1. One similar to or like another. Used with the: was subject to coughs, asthma, and the like.

2. often likes Informal An equivalent or similar person or thing; an equal or match: I’ve never seen the likes of this before. We’ll never see his like again.

conj. Usage Problem

1. In the same way that; as: To dance like she does requires great discipline.

2. As if: It looks like we’ll finish on time.

Idioms:

be like Informal

To say or utter. Used chiefly in oral narration: And he’s like, «Leave me alone!»

like so

In the manner indicated: You apply the paint like so.

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[Middle English, from like, similar (from Old English gelīc Old Norse līkr) and from like, similarly (from Old English gelīce, from gelīc, similar); see līk- in Indo-European roots.]

Usage Note: They don’t make them like they used to. I remember it like it was yesterday. As these familiar examples show, like is often used as a conjunction meaning «as» or «as if,» particularly in speech. While writers since Chaucer’s time have used like as a conjunction, the usage today has a somewhat informal or conversational flavor. Language critics and writing handbooks have condemned the conjunctive use of like for more than a century, and in accordance with this tradition, like is usually edited out of more formal prose. This is easy enough to do, since as and as if stand as synonyms: Sales of new models rose as (not like) we expected them to. He ran as if (not like) his life depended on it. · Like is acceptable at all levels as a conjunction when used with verbs such as feel, look, seem, sound, and taste: It looks like we are in for a rough winter. Constructions in which the verb is not expressed, such as He took to politics like a duck to water, are also acceptable, especially since in these cases like can be viewed as a preposition. See Usage Notes at as¹, together.

Our Living Language Along with be all and go, the construction combining be and like has become a common way of introducing quotations in informal conversation, especially among younger people: «So I’m like, ‘Let’s get out of here!'» As with go, this use of like can also announce a brief imitation of another person’s behavior, often elaborated with facial expressions and gestures. It can also summarize a past attitude or reaction (instead of presenting direct speech). If a woman says «I’m like, ‘Get lost buddy!'» she may or may not have used those actual words to tell the offending man off. In fact, she may not have said anything to him but instead may be summarizing her attitude at the time by stating what she might have said, had she chosen to speak. See Note at go¹

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like ³

 (līk) also liked (līkt)

aux.v. Chiefly Southern US

Used with a past infinitive or with to and a simple past form to indicate being just on the point of or coming near to having done something in the past: «I like to a split a gut laughin’.» «It seemed as how nobody had thought about measurin’ the width of the bridge’s openin’, and we like to didn’t make it through» (Dictionary of American Regional English).

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[Middle English liken, to compare, from like, similar; see like².]

Our Living Language In certain Southern varieties of American English there are two grammatically distinct usages of the word like to mean «was on the verge of.» In both, either like or liked is possible. In the first, the word is followed by a past infinitive: We like (or liked) to have drowned. The ancestor of this construction was probably the adjective like in the sense «likely, on the verge of,» as in She’s like to get married again. The adjective was reinterpreted by some speakers as a verb, and since like to and liked to are indistinguishable in normal speech, the past tense came to be marked on the following infinitive for clarity. From this developed a second way of expressing the same concept: the use of like to with a following finite past tense verb form, as in I like to died when I saw that. This construction appears odd at first because it ostensibly contains an ungrammatical infinitive, to died, but that is not the case at all. What has happened is that like to here has been reinterpreted as an adverb meaning almost. In fact, it is quite common to see the phrase spelled as a single word, in the pronunciation spelling liketa.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

like

(laɪk)

adj

(prenominal) similar; resembling

prep

1. similar to; similarly to; in the manner of: acting like a maniac; he’s so like his father.

2. used correlatively to express similarity in certain proverbs: like mother, like daughter.

3. such as: there are lots of ways you might amuse yourself — like taking a long walk, for instance.

adv

4. a dialect word for likely

5. not standard as it were: often used as a parenthetic filler: there was this policeman just staring at us, like.

6. be like … informal used to introduce direct speech or nonverbal communication: I was like, ‘You’re kidding!’.

conj

7. not standard as though; as if: you look like you’ve just seen a ghost.

8. in the same way as; in the same way that: she doesn’t dance like you do.

n

9. the equal or counterpart of a person or thing, esp one respected or prized: compare like with like; her like will never be seen again.

10. the like similar things: dogs, foxes, and the like.

11. the likes of the like of people or things similar to (someone or something specified): we don’t want the likes of you around here.

[shortened from Old English gelīc; compare Old Norse glīkr and līkr like]

Usage: The use of like to mean such as was formerly thought to be undesirable in formal writing, but has now become acceptable. It was also thought that as rather than like should be used to mean in the same way that, but now both as and like are acceptable: they hunt and catch fish as/like their ancestors used to. The use of look like and seem like before a clause, although very common, is thought by many people to be incorrect or non-standard: it looks as though he won’t come (not it looks like he won’t come)

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like

(laɪk)

vb

1. (tr) to find (something) enjoyable or agreeable or find it enjoyable or agreeable (to do something): he likes boxing; he likes to hear music.

2. (tr) to be fond of

3. (tr) to prefer or wish (to do something): we would like you to go.

4. (tr) to feel towards; consider; regard: how did she like it?.

5. (intr) to feel disposed or inclined; choose; wish

6. (tr) archaic to please; agree with: it likes me not to go.

n

(usually plural) a favourable feeling, desire, preference, etc (esp in the phrase likes and dislikes)

[Old English līcian; related to Old Norse līka, Dutch lijken]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

like¹

(laɪk)

adj. (Poetic) lik•er, lik•est,
prep., adv., conj., n., interj. adj.

1. of the same form, appearance, kind, character, amount, etc.: I cannot remember a like instance.

2. corresponding or agreeing in general or in some noticeable respect; similar; analogous: drawing, painting, and like arts.

3. bearing resemblance.

4. Dial. likely.

prep.

5. similarly to; in the manner characteristic of: She works like a beaver.

6. resembling; similar to: Your necklace is like mine.

7. characteristic of: It would be like him to forget our appointment.

8. as if there is promise of; indicative of: It looks like rain.

9. disposed or inclined to (usu. prec. by feel): to feel like going to bed.

10. (used correlatively to indicate similarity through relationship): like father, like son.

11. (used to establish an intensifying, often facetious, comparison): ran like hell; sleeps like a log.

adv.

12. nearly; approximately: The house is more like 40 years old.

13. likely or probably: Like enough he’ll come with us.

conj.

14. in the same way as; just as; as: It happened like you said it would.

15. as if: He acted like he was afraid.

16. Informal. (used esp. after forms ofbeto introduce reported speech or thought): She’s like, «I don’t believe it,» and I’m like, «No, it’s true!»

n.

17. a similar or comparable person or thing, or persons or things; counterpart, match, or equal (usu. prec. by a possessive adjective or the): No one has seen her like in a long time.

18. kind; sort (usu. prec. by a possessive adjective): I despise toadies and their like.

19. the like, something of a similar nature: They grow oranges, lemons, and the like.

interj.

20. Informal. (used preceding a WH-word, an answer to a question, or other information in a sentence on which the speaker wishes to focus attention): Like, why didn’t you write to me? The music was, like, really great.

Idioms:

1. like to or liked to, Nonstandard. was on the verge of or came close to (doing something): The poor kid like to froze.

2. the like or likes of, the equal of.

[1150–1200; Middle English lic, lik < Old Norse līkr, reduced form of glīkr; see alike]

lik′er, n.

usage: like ¹ as a conjunction meaning “as, in the same way as” (Many shoppers study the food ads like brokers study market reports) or “as if” (It looks like it will rain) has been used for nearly 500 years and by many distinguished literary and intellectual figures. Since the mid-19th century there have been objections to these uses. Nevertheless, such uses are almost universal today in all but the most formal speech and writing, in which as, as if, and as though are more commonly used than like: The general accepted full responsibility for the incident, as any professional soldier would. Many of the bohemians lived as if (or as though) there were no tomorrow. The strong strictures against the use of like as a conjunction have resulted in the occasional hypercorrect use of as as a preposition where like is idiomatic: She looks as a sympathetic person. See also as.

like²

(laɪk)

v. liked, lik•ing,
n. v.t.

1. to take pleasure in; find agreeable or congenial to one’s taste: to like opera.

2. to regard with favor; have a kindly or friendly feeling for (a person, group, etc.).

3. to wish or want: I’d like a piece of cake.

v.i.

4. to feel inclined; wish: Stay if you like.

5. Archaic. to suit the tastes or wishes; please.

n.

6. Usu., likes. the things a person likes.

[before 900; Middle English; Old English līcian, c. Old Saxon līkōn, Old High German līhhēn, Old Norse līka, Gothic leikan to please; akin to alike, like¹]

-like

a suffixal use of like ¹ in the formation of adjectives: childlike.

Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

like

— Comes from Germanic likam, «appearance, body, form»; the verb came from likojam, which, as like, originally meant «please.»

See also related terms for please.

Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

like

1. ‘like’

If you like someone or something, you find them pleasant or attractive.

She’s a nice girl, I like her.

Very few people liked the idea.

Be Careful!
Don’t use a progressive form of like. Don’t say, for example, ‘I am liking peanuts‘. Say ‘I like peanuts’.

You can use like in front of an -ing form to say that you enjoy an activity.

I like reading.

I just don’t like being in crowds.

You can add very much to emphasize how much you like someone or something, or how much you enjoy an activity.

I like him very much.

I like swimming very much.

Be Careful!
You must put very much after the object, not after like. Don’t say, for example, ‘I like very much swimming‘.

If someone asks you if you like something, you can say ‘Yes, I do.’ Don’t say ‘Yes, I like.’

‘Do you like walking?’ – ‘Yes I do, I love it.’

Be Careful!
Don’t use ‘like’ immediately in front of a clause beginning with ‘when’ or ‘if’. For example, don’t say ‘I like when I can go home early‘. Say ‘I like it when I can go home early’.

The guests don’t like it when they can’t use the pool.

I’d like it if we were friends again.

2. ‘would like’

You say ‘Would you like…?‘ when you are offering something to someone.

Would you like some coffee?

Be Careful!
Don’t say ‘Do you like some coffee?‘

You say ‘Would you like…‘ followed by a to-infinitive when you are inviting someone to do something.

Would you like to meet him?

Be Careful!
Don’t use an -ing form after ‘Would you like…‘. Don’t say, for example, ‘Would you like meeting him?‘

You can say ‘I’d like…‘ when asking for something in a shop or café.

I’d like some apples, please.

You say ‘I’d like you to…‘ when you are telling someone to do something in a fairly polite way.

I’d like you to tell them where I am.

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like

– as – the way

1. used as conjunctions

You can use like, as, or the way as conjunctions when you are comparing one person’s behaviour or appearance to another’s. In the clause which follows the conjunction, the verb is usually do.

For example, you can say ‘He walked to work every day, like his father had done’, ‘He walked to work every day, as his father had done’, or ‘He walked to work every day, the way his father had done’.

I never behave like she does.

They were people who spoke and thought as he did.

Start lending things, the way people did in the war.

2. used as prepositions

Like and as can be prepositions, but their meaning is not usually the same. For example, if you do something like a particular kind of person, you do it the way that kind of person would do it, although you are not that kind of person.

We worked like slaves.

If you do something as a particular kind of person, you are that kind of person.

Over the summer she worked as a waitress.

I can only speak as a married man without children.

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like

– dislike

The verbs and expressions in the following list are all used to indicate how much someone likes or dislikes something. They are arranged from ‘like most’ to ‘dislike most’:

• adore

  She adored her parents and would do anything to please them.

• love, be crazy about, be mad about, be a great fan of

  We loved the food so much, especially the fish dishes.

  He’s still crazy about both his work and his hobbies.

  She’s not as mad about sport as I am.

  I am a great fan of rave music.

• like, be fond of, be keen on

  What music do you like best?

  She was especially fond of a little girl named Betsy.

  Both companies were keen on a merger.

• don’t mind

  I hope you don’t mind me calling in like this, without an appointment.

• dislike

  We don’t serve liver often because so many people dislike it.

• hate

  She hated hospitals and didn’t like the idea of having an operation.

• abhor, can’t bear, can’t stand, detest, loathe

  He was a man who abhorred violence and was deeply committed to reconciliation.

  I can’t bear people who make judgements and label me.

  I can’t stand that man and his arrogance.

  Jean detested being photographed.

  The two men loathe each other.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

like

Past participle: liked
Gerund: liking

Imperative
like
like

Present
I like
you like
he/she/it likes
we like
you like
they like

Preterite
I liked
you liked
he/she/it liked
we liked
you liked
they liked

Present Continuous
I am liking
you are liking
he/she/it is liking
we are liking
you are liking
they are liking

Present Perfect
I have liked
you have liked
he/she/it has liked
we have liked
you have liked
they have liked

Past Continuous
I was liking
you were liking
he/she/it was liking
we were liking
you were liking
they were liking

Past Perfect
I had liked
you had liked
he/she/it had liked
we had liked
you had liked
they had liked

Future
I will like
you will like
he/she/it will like
we will like
you will like
they will like

Future Perfect
I will have liked
you will have liked
he/she/it will have liked
we will have liked
you will have liked
they will have liked

Future Continuous
I will be liking
you will be liking
he/she/it will be liking
we will be liking
you will be liking
they will be liking

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been liking
you have been liking
he/she/it has been liking
we have been liking
you have been liking
they have been liking

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been liking
you will have been liking
he/she/it will have been liking
we will have been liking
you will have been liking
they will have been liking

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been liking
you had been liking
he/she/it had been liking
we had been liking
you had been liking
they had been liking

Conditional
I would like
you would like
he/she/it would like
we would like
you would like
they would like

Past Conditional
I would have liked
you would have liked
he/she/it would have liked
we would have liked
you would have liked
they would have liked

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Translations

English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• lak

Pronunciation[edit]

• enPR: līk, IPA^(key): /laɪ̯k/
• (MLE, Jamaica) IPA^(key): /læ̙ːk/, /lɑːk/
• (Dublin English) IPA^(key): /lɔɪ̯k/

• Audio — ‘to like’ (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪk

Etymology 1[edit]

Verb from Middle English liken, from Old English līcian (“to like, to please”), from Proto-West Germanic *līkēn, from Proto-Germanic *līkāną, from Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (“image; likeness; similarity”).

Cognate with Saterland Frisian liekje (“to be similar, resemble”), Dutch lijken (“to seem”), German Low German lieken (“to be like; resemble”), German gleichen (“to resemble”), Swedish lika (“to like; put up with; align with”), Norwegian like (“to like”), Icelandic líka (“to like”).

Noun from Middle English like (“pleasure, will, like”), from the verb Middle English liken (“to like”).

Verb[edit]

like (third-person singular simple present likes, present participle liking, simple past and past participle liked)

1. To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of.

   Antonyms: dislike, hate, mislike

   I like hamburgers.

   I like skiing in winter.

   I like the Seattle Mariners this season.

   • 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 2, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC, book I, page 21:

     He may either go or stay, as he best likes.

   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

     At her invitation he outlined for her the succeeding chapters with terse military accuracy ; and what she liked best and best understood was avoidance of that false modesty which condescends, turning technicality into pabulum.

2. (transitive, archaic) To please.

   • 16th century, Sir Philip Sidney, The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia‎^[1]:

     I willingly confess that it likes me much better when I find virtue in a fair lodging than when I am bound to seek it in an ill-favoured creature.
3. (obsolete) To derive pleasure of, by or with someone or something.

   • 1662, Thomas Salusbury, Galileo’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Systems of the World, (Dialogue Two):

     And therefore it is the best way, if you like of it, to examine these taken from experiments touching the Earth, and then proceed to those of the other kind.

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 2:

     He used to drop into my chambers once in a while to smoke, and was first-rate company. When I gave a dinner there was generally a cover laid for him. I liked the man for his own sake, and even had he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me.

4. To prefer and maintain (an action) as a regular habit or activity.

   I like to go to the dentist every six months.

   She likes to keep herself physically fit.

   we like to keep one around the office just in case.

   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)‎^[2]:

     People in Washington like to work out!

5. (obsolete) To have an appearance or expression; to look; to seem to be (in a specified condition).

   • c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv]:

     You like well, and bear your years very well.

6. (archaic) To come near; to avoid with difficulty; to escape narrowly.

   He liked to have been too late.

   • 1760, Horace Walpole, The Letters of Horace Walpole: Fourth Earl of Oxford‎^[3], to George Montagu:

     He probably got his death, as he liked to have done two years ago, by viewing the troops for the expedition from the wall of Kensington Garden.

7. To find attractive; to prefer the company of; to have mild romantic feelings for.

   Synonyms: (British) fancy, enjoy, love

   Antonyms: dislike, hate, mislike

   I really like Sandra but don’t know how to tell her.

   • 2016 December 19, Moe! Ninja Girls, Japan: NTT Solmare, iOS, Android, scene: Season 1, Enju Ending:

     ― Enju: “Apparently when you like someone, you start talking like them.”

8. (obsolete) To liken; to compare.
9. (Internet, transitive) To show support for, or approval of, something posted on the Internet by marking it with a vote.

   Antonyms: unlike, dislike

   I liked my friend’s last status on Facebook.

   I can’t stand Bloggs’ tomato ketchup, but I liked it on Facebook so I could enter a competition.

10. (with ‘would’ and in certain other phrases) To want, desire. See also would like.

    Would you like a cigarette?

    We could go to the museum if you like.

    I don’t like to disturb him when he’s working.

11. (computing, chiefly in the negative) To accept as an input.

    We were frustrated that our seeming innocent choice for a team name was rejected by the censor. Apparently somewhere in the name is a word that the censor doesn’t like.

Usage notes[edit]

• In its senses of “enjoy” and “maintain as a regular habit”, like is a catenative verb; in the former, it usually takes a gerund (-ing form), while in the latter, it takes a to-infinitive. See also Appendix:English catenative verbs.
• Like is only used to mean “want” in certain expressions, such as “if you like” and “I would like”. The conditional form, would like, is used quite freely as a polite synonym for want.

Conjugation[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

[edit]

• like like
• would like

Descendants[edit]

• Jersey Dutch: lāike

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

like (plural likes)

1. (chiefly in the plural) Something that a person likes (prefers).

   Synonyms: favorite, preference

   Antonyms: dislike, pet hate, pet peeve

   Tell me your likes and dislikes.

2. (Internet) An individual vote showing support for, approval of, or enjoyment of, something posted on the Internet.

   • 2016, Brooke Warner, Green-Light Your Book:

     Social media is supervisual, and there’s nothing more shareable than images, so this is a way to increase shares and likes and follows.

   • 2019, “Balenciaga”, performed by Princess Nokia:

     Dress for myself, I don’t dress for hype / I dress for myself, you dress for the likes

   • 2020 January 17, Amy Chozick, “This Is the Guy Who’s Taking Away the Likes”, in New York Times‎^[4]:

     Likes are the social media currency undergirding an entire influencer economy, inspiring a million Kardashian wannabes and giving many of us regular people daily endorphin hits.

Translations[edit]

References[edit]

• like on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 2[edit]

Adjective from Middle English like, lyke, from Old English ġelīċ by shortening, influenced by Old Norse líkr, glíkr; both from Proto-Germanic *galīkaz (“like, similar, same”). Related to alike; more distantly, with lich and -ly. Cognate with West Frisian like (“like; as”), Saterland Frisian gliek (“like”), Danish lig (“alike”), Dutch gelijk (“like, alike”), German gleich (“equal, like”), Icelandic líkur (“alike, like, similar”), Norwegian lik (“like, alike”) Swedish lik (“like, similar”)

Adverb from Middle English like, lyke, liche, lyche, from Old English ġelīċe (“likewise, also, as, in like manner, similarly”) and Old Norse líka (“also, likewise”); both from Proto-Germanic *galīkê, from Proto-Germanic *galīkaz (“same, like, similar”).

Conjunction from Middle English like, lyke, lik, lyk, from the adverb Middle English like.

Preposition from Middle English like, lyke, liche, lyche, lijc, liih (“similar to, like, equal to, comparable with”), from Middle English like (adjective) and like (adverb).

Adjective[edit]

like (comparative more like, superlative most like)

1. Similar.

   My partner and I have like minds.

   The two cats were as like as though they had come from the same litter.

   • 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide

     It will seem strange that in all this time the Presbytery was idle, and no effort was made to rid the place of so fell an influence. But there was a reason, and the reason, as in most like cases, was a lassie.

   • 1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, “ch. 3, Landlord Edmund”, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book II (The Ancient Monk):

     […] and this is not a sky, it is a Soul and living Face! Nothing liker the Temple of the Highest, bright with some real effulgence of the Highest, is seen in this world.

   • 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:

     I opened the man’s linen robe, and there over his heart was a dagger-wound, and beneath the woman’s fair breast was a like cruel stab, through which her life had ebbed away.

2. (Scotland, Southern US) Likely; probable.
   • 1668, Robert South, The Messiah’s Sufferings for the Sins of the People (sermon, March 20, 1668)

     But it is like the jolly world about us will scoff at the paradox of these practices.

   • 1702–1704, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, “(please specify |book=I to XVI)”, in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the Theater, published 1707, →OCLC:

     Many were […] not easy to be govern’d, nor like to conform themselves to such strict rules.

   • 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide

     She had waited overlong, and now it was like that Ailie would escape her toils.

3. (Scotland, Southern US, otherwise archaic, usually with to) inclined (to), prone (to).

   He seems like to run from any semblance of hard work.

   • 1920 [1843], Dickens, Charles, “Stave three: The second of the three spirits”, in A Christmas Carol, Boston: Atlantic Monthly Press, page 96:

     «If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, none other of my race,» returned the Ghost, «will find him here. What then? If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.»

     Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the Spirit, and was overcome with penitence and grief.

Derived terms[edit]

[edit]

• as like as not

Translations[edit]

Adverb[edit]

like (comparative more like, superlative most like)

1. (obsolete, colloquial) Likely.

   • 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:

     DON PEDRO. May be she doth but counterfeit.
     CLAUDIO. Faith, like enough.

2. (archaic or rare) In a like or similar manner.

Noun[edit]

like (countable and uncountable, plural likes)

2. (sometimes as the likes of) Someone similar to a given person, or something similar to a given object; a comparative; a type; a sort.

   • 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:

     «Such things do happen and centre round the wicked medium. You can get down into a region which is akin to the popular idea of witchcraft, it is dishonest to deny it.» «Like attracts like,» explained Mrs. Mailey[.]

   • 1935, Winston Churchill on T.E. Lawrence

     We shall never see his like again.

   • 1945 August 6, Truman, Harry S., VT2008-9-2 President Truman Announces Bombing of Hiroshima‎^[5], Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives Identifier: 23630, archived from the original on 02 November 2021, 01:49 from the start:

     It was to spare the Japanese people from utter destruction that the ultimatum of July the 26th was issued at Potsdam. Their leaders promptly rejected that ultimatum. If they do not now accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this Earth.

   • 1982, Douglas Adams, Life, the Universe and Everything, page 93:

     In fact it would be fair to say that he had reached a level of annoyance the like of which had never been seen in the Universe.

   There were bowls full of sweets, chocolates and the like.

   It was something the likes of which I had never seen before.

3. (golf) The stroke that equalizes the number of strokes played by the opposing player or side.

   to play the like

Synonyms[edit]

• ilk

Antonyms[edit]

• antithesis, opposite

Derived terms[edit]

• like-for-like

Translations[edit]

Conjunction[edit]

like

1. (colloquial) As, the way.
   • 1966, Advertising slogan for Winston cigarettes

     Winston tastes good like a cigarette should

   • 1978, «Do Unto Others» by Bob Dylan

     But if you do right to me, baby

     I’ll do right to you, too

     Ya got to do unto others

     Like you’d have them, like you’d have them, do unto you

   • 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 160:

     Like the Mesolithic age of 10,000-8000 B.C., the period 6000-4000 B.C. seems to be one of the fall of fortresses and the rise of pastoral nomadism.

2. As if; as though.

   It looks like you’ve finished the project.

   It seemed like you didn’t care.

Usage notes[edit]

• The American Heritage Dictionary opines that using like as a conjunction, instead of as, the way, as if, or as though, is informal; it has, however, been routine since the Middle English period. AHD4 says «Writers since Chaucer’s time have used like as a conjunction, but 19th-century and 20th-century critics have been so vehement in their condemnations of this usage that a writer who uses the construction in formal style risks being accused of illiteracy or worse», and recommends using as in formal speech and writing. OED does not tag it as colloquial or nonstandard, but notes, «Used as conj[unction]: = ‘like as’, as. Now generally condemned as vulgar or slovenly, though examples may be found in many recent writers of standing.»

Derived terms[edit]

• feel like
• like it’s going out of style
• look like
• seem like
• sound like

Preposition[edit]

like

1. Similar to, reminiscent of

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

     Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. He was dressed out in broad gaiters and bright tweeds, like an English tourist, and his face might have belonged to Dagon, idol of the Philistines.

   • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 1, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients:

     Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path […]. It twisted and turned, […] and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn. And, back of the lawn, was a big, old-fashioned house, with piazzas stretching in front of it, and all blazing with lights. ‘Twas the house I’d seen the roof of from the beach.

   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter X, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces were fine and mild, yet really strong, like the rector’s face; and in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers.

   • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest‎^[6]:

     She was like a Beardsley Salome, he had said. And indeed she had the narrow eyes and the high cheekbone of that creature, and as nearly the sinuosity as is compatible with human symmetry.

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess‎^[7]:

     When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. […]. The captive made no resistance and came not only quietly but in a series of eager little rushes like a timid dog on a choke chain.

   • 2013 June 7, David Simpson, “Fantasy of navigation”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 36:

     Like most human activities, ballooning has sponsored heroes and hucksters and a good deal in between. For every dedicated scientist patiently recording atmospheric pressure and wind speed while shivering at high altitudes, there is a carnival barker with a bevy of pretty girls willing to dangle from a basket or parachute down to earth.

2. Typical of

   It would be just like Achilles to be sulking in his tent.

3. Approximating

   Popcorn costs something like $10 dollars at the movies.

4. In the manner of, similarly to

   He doesn’t act like a president.

5. Such as

   It’s for websites like Wikipedia.

6. As if there would be

   It looks like a hot summer in Europe.

7. Used to ask for a description or opinion of someone or something

   I hear she has a new boyfriend. What’s he like?

   What’s the weather like in Ürümqi today?

Synonyms[edit]

• (such as): for example, such as, (archaic) as

Antonyms[edit]

• unlike

Derived terms[edit]

• like a bull at a gate
• like a demon

Translations[edit]

Particle[edit]

like

1. Likely.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Mark Twain:

     “You’ll try it, some day, like enough; but you’ll get tired of the change pretty soon.” “Why?” “Well, I’ll tell you. Now you’ve always been a sailor; did you ever try some other business?”

   • 1936, New Mexico: The Sunshine State’s Recreational and Highway Magazine:

     If I can’t spare the time—well, like as not we go anyhow. And where else can you ride all day with your saddle and neck full of snow brushed from the trees and still not freeze half to death?

2. (colloquial, Scotland, Ireland, Tyneside, Teesside, Liverpudlian) A delayed filler.

   He was so angry, like.

3. (colloquial) Indicating approximation or uncertainty.

   There were, like, twenty of them.

   She was, like, sooooo happy.

   • 1972, Charles M. Schulz, Peanuts, December 1:

     [Sally Brown:] Christmas is getting all you can get while the getting is good.
     [Charlie Brown:] GIVING! The only real joy is GIVING!
     [Sally Brown, rolling her eyes:] Like, wow!

4. (colloquial, slang) Used to precede an approximate quotation or paraphrase or an expression of something that happened.

   I was like, “Why did you do that?” and he’s like, “I don’t know.”

   And then he, like, got all angry and left the room.

   A customer walked in like, «I demand to see the manager!»

   • 2006, Lily Allen, Knock ‘Em Out

     You’re just doing your own thing and some one comes out the blue,

     They’re like, «Alright»

     What ya saying, «Yeah can I take your digits?»

     And you’re like, «no not in a million years, you’re nasty please leave me alone.»

   • 2014, Geoffrey Riddell, The Fly-ahead Boy, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 108:

     ‘It made this sky ripping noise, and then went like “bang”, real hard into the ground. A long way away but.’

Usage notes[edit]

The use as a quotative is informal; it is commonly used by young people, and commonly disliked by older generations, especially in repeated use. It may be combined with the use of the present tense as a narrative. (For its use preceded by a form of be, see be like.) Similar terms are to go and all, as in I go, “Why did you do that?” and he goes, “I don’t know” and I was all, “Why did you do that?” and he was all, “I don’t know.” These expressions can imply that the attributed remark which follows is representative rather than necessarily an exact quotation; however, in speech these structures do tend to require mimicking the original speaker’s inflection in a way said would not.

Excessive use of «like» as a meaningless filler is widely criticised.

Synonyms[edit]

• (delayed filler): I mean, you know
• (mild intensifier): I mean, well, you know
• (indicating approximation or uncertainty): I mean, well, you know
• (colloquial: used to precede paraphrased quotations): be all, go

Translations[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

From like (adverb) and like (adjective).

Verb[edit]

like (third-person singular simple present likes, present participle liking, simple past and past participle liked)

1. (chiefly dialectal, intransitive) To be likely.

   • 1837, Earl of Orford Walpole (Horace), Correspondence with George Montagu:

     He probably got his death, as he liked to have done two years ago, by viewing the troops for the expedition, from the wall of Kensington garden.

References[edit]

• A Dictionary of North East Dialect, Bill Griffiths, 2005, Northumbria University Press, →ISBN
• like at OneLook Dictionary Search

Further reading[edit]

• “I’m (like) ” from Language Log

Anagrams[edit]

• Kiel, Kile, kile, liek

Chinese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English like.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

like

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, figuratively) appreciation; approval

Verb[edit]

like

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, Internet slang) to like
2. (Cantonese) Alternative form of likey.

See also[edit]

• likey

Danish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English like.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): [lɑjɡ̊]

Noun[edit]

like n (singular definite liket, plural indefinite likes)

1. (Internet) like

   Den fik 30.000 likes i løbet af en halv time, hvilket er ret meget.

   It received 30,000 likes in the course of half an hour, which is quite a lot.

Verb[edit]

like (imperative like, infinitive at like, present tense liker, past tense likede, perfect tense har liket)

1. (Internet) to like

   Han havde liket sin egen kommentar.

   He had liked his own comment.

French[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• Homophones: likent, likes

Verb[edit]

like

1. inflection of liker:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

German[edit]

Verb[edit]

like

1. inflection of liken:
   1. first-person singular present
   2. first/third-person singular subjunctive I
   3. singular imperative

Hawaiian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Eastern Polynesian *lite. Compare Maori rite.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈli.ke/, [ˈlike]

Verb[edit]

like

1. (stative) like, alike, similar

Derived terms[edit]

• hoʻolike: to make things equal, to make things similar (less common)
• hoʻohālike: to make things equal, to make things similar (more common)

References[edit]

• “like” in the Hawaiian Dictionary, Revised and Enlarged Edition, University of Hawaii Press, 1986

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old Norse líka, from Proto-Germanic *līkāną.

Verb[edit]

like (imperative lik, present tense liker, simple past likte, past participle likt)

1. to like

Etymology 2[edit]

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective[edit]

like

1. definite singular of lik
2. plural of lik

Etymology 3[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adverb[edit]

like

1. as, equally

   Han er like lang som henne.

   He is as tall as she.

Derived terms[edit]

• likefullt, like fullt
• likeledes
• likeså

References[edit]

• “like” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /²liːkə/

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old Norse líka.

Alternative forms[edit]

• lika

Verb[edit]

like (imperative lik or like, present tense likar or liker, simple past lika or likte, past participle lika or likt)

1. to like

Etymology 2[edit]

Adjective[edit]

like

1. definite singular of lik
2. plural of lik

Etymology 3[edit]

From Old Norse líka.

Adverb[edit]

like

1. as, equally

   Dei er like høge.

   They are equally tall. / They are as tall as each other.

2. just, immediately

   Han kom fram like før det stengte.

   He got there just before it closed.

References[edit]

• “like” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Scots[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old English līcian (“to be pleasing”).

Verb[edit]

like (third-person singular simple present likes, present participle likin, simple past likit, past participle likit)

1. To like.
2. To be hesitant to do something.

   I dinna like. ― I’m not certain I would like to.

3. To love somebody or something.

Adverb[edit]

like (not comparable)

1. like

Interjection[edit]

like

1. (South Scots) Used to place emphasis upon a statement.

   Oo jist saw it the now, like. ― We like, just now saw it.

Spanish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English like.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈlaik/ [ˈlai̯k]
• Rhymes: -aik

Noun[edit]

like m (plural likes)

1. (Internet slang) like

Usage notes[edit]

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Swedish[edit]

Adjective[edit]

like

1. absolute definite natural masculine singular of lik.

Noun[edit]

like c

1. match (someone similarly skillful)

   Han hade mött sin like

   He had met his match

Declension[edit]

Declension of like
	Singular	Plural
Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	like	liken	likar	likarna
Genitive	likes	likens	likars	likarnas