Like Definition
like
See also lǐkē, and lìkè
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English
Wikipedia has an article on: LikePronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English liken, from Old English līcian (“to please, be sufficient”), from Proto-Germanic *līkōnan (“to please”), from Proto-Indo-European *līg- (“image, likeness, similarity”). Cognate with Dutch lijken (“to seem”), German gleichen (“to resemble”), Icelandic líka (“to like”), Norwegian like (“to like”).
Verb
like (third-person singular simple present likes, present participle liking, simple past and past participle liked)
- (transitive, archaic) To please.
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book IV:
- And yf hit lyke yow I wille speke with hem by cause I am a knyghte of kynge Arthurs [...].
- 1608, William Shakespeare, King Lear:
- His countenance likes me not.
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book IV:
- To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of.
- 1865, Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, chapter 10:
- “I can tell you more than that, if you like,” said the Gryphon. “Do you know why it’s called a whiting?”
- I like hamburgers.
- I like skiing in winter.
- I like the Seattle Mariners this season.
- 1865, Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, chapter 10:
- (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.
- 1662, Thomas Salusbury, Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Systems of the World (Dialogue Two)
- 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.
- To find attractive; to prefer the company of; to have mild romantic feelings for.
- I really like Sandra but don't know how to tell her.
Usage notes
- 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.
Synonyms
- (find attractive): fancy (British)
Antonyms
- dislike, hate
Derived terms
Translations
enjoy
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Noun
like (plural likes)
- (usually plural) Something that a person likes (prefers).
- Tell me your likes and dislikes.
Synonyms
- favorite (US), favourite (UK), preference
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
something that a person likes
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Etymology 2
From Middle English, from Old English ġelīċ by shortening, influenced by Old Norse líkr. Cognate with alike; more distantly, with lich and -ly.
Adjective
like (comparative liker, superlative likest)
- similar
- My partner and I have like minds.
- 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, book 2, ch. 3, Landlord Edmund
- ... 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.
Related terms
Derived terms
Translations
similarAdverb
like (comparative more like, superlative most like)
- (informal) for example, such as: to introduce an example or list of examples
- There are lots of birds like ducks and gulls in this park.
Usage notes
In formal writing, such as is preferred over like.
Synonyms
Translations
such as
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Noun
like (plural likes)
- (sometimes as the likes of) Someone similar to a given person, or something similar to a given object; a comparative; a type; a sort.
- We shall never see his like again. — Winston Churchill on T.E. Lawrence
- There were bowls full of sweets, chocolates and the like.
- It was something the likes of which I had never seen before.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Translations
something similar to a given person or objectConjunction
like
Derived terms
Preposition
like
- Somewhat similar to, reminiscent of.
- These hamburgers taste like leather.
Antonyms
Translations
somewhat similar to
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Particle
like
Wikipedia has an article on: Like: in slang and colloquial speechWikipedia
- (colloquial, obsolete, current in Scots) A delayed filler.
- He was so angry, like.
- (colloquial) A mild intensifier.
- She was, like, sooooo happy.
- (colloquial) indicating approximation or uncertainty
- There were, like, twenty of them.
- And then he, like, got all angry and left the room.
- (colloquial, slang) When preceded by any form of the verb to be, used to mean “to say” or “to think”; used to precede an approximate quotation or paraphrase.
- I was like, “Why did you do that?” and he's like, “I don't know.”
- 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."
Synonyms
Usage notes
The use as a quotative is deliberately informal and commonly used by young people, and often combined with the use of the present tense as a narrative. 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 speakers inflection in a way said would not.
Translations
colloquial: mild intensifierInterjection
like
- (Liverpudlian, Geordie) Used to place emphasis upon a statement.
- divint ye knaa, like?
References
- A Dictionary of North East Dialect, Bill Griffiths, 2005, Northumbria University Press, ISBN 1904794165
Statistics
Anagrams
Norwegian
Verb
like (present tense liker; past tense likte; past participle likt; present participle likende; imperative lik)
- to like
Scots
Verb
tae like (third-person singular simple present likes, present participle likin, simple past likit, past participle likit)
- To like.
- To be hesitant to do something.
- I dinna like. - I'm not certain I would like to.
- To love somebody or something.
Adverb
like (not comparable)
Interjection
like!
- (South Scots) Used to place emphasis upon a statement.
- Oo jist saw it the now, like.
Swedish
Adjective
like
- absolute definite natural masculine form of lik.
Noun
like c.
- match (someone similarly skilful)
- Han hade mött sin like
- He had met his match
- Han hade mött sin like
Declension
Declension of like| singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common | indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite |
| nominative | like | liken | likar | likarna |
| genitive | likes | likens | likars | likarnas |
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In the English language, the word like has a very flexible range of uses, ranging from conventional to non-standard. It can be used as a noun, verb, adverb, adjective, preposition, particle, conjunction, hedge, interjection, and quotative.
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