Slang Words for Love (and How/When to Use Them)

Written by Gabriel Cruz - Foodie, Animal Lover, Slang & Language Enthusiast

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Falling in love is undeniably a wonderful thing. All you need to do to get a feel for how important love can be is to turn on the radio and listen to the flood of love songs you’ll hear on the air.

Unsurprisingly, something that most people experience at least once in their lives is called by many names. We’ve collected slang words for love and related to the process of falling in love in this guide.

If love ever doesn’t feel like a good fit for what you’re feeling, it’s entirely possible one of these phrases will.


Table of Contents

Slang Words for Love (in Alphabetical Order)

A

Ask Out

Meaning:

  • (Verb): The act of inviting someone to go out with you for a romantic date. It can sometimes also mean that you’re asking someone to become your boyfriend or girlfriend.
  • Example: “I’m planning on asking Beth out tomorrow night.”

Read More: Slang Words for Girlfriend

Ask Out

B

Bromance

Meaning:

  • (Noun): Love doesn’t have to be romantic, as phrases like “bromance” prove. This word combines “bro” and “romance” to indicate a close platonic relationship between two men.
  • Example: “I have a bromance going with Ed. He’s my best friend.”
Bromance

More Like This: Slang Words for Friends  


C

Carry a Torch for

Meaning:

  • (Verb): To have a crush on someone.
  • Example: “Rob carries a torch for Dan, but he won’t tell him.”
Carry a Torch for

Crush

Meaning:

  • (Verb): Having romantic feelings and attachment to someone without being in a relationship with them. Usually the earliest stage in romantic feelings.
  • Example: “I have a huge crush on Dan, but I don’t know how to let him know!”
  • (Noun): An individual you’re deeply attracted to.
  • Example: “Rob is my crush.”
Crush

E

Elephant Shoes

Meaning:

  • (Expression): Another way of saying, “I love you.” If you mouth “elephant shoes” at someone, it looks like you’re mouthing “I love you,” which is where the phrase comes from.
Elephant Shoes

F

Falling in Lust

Meaning:

  • (Verb): To develop an attraction to someone based purely on sexual desires.
  • Example: “She fell in lust with Ben but didn’t know anything about him. She just thought he was hot.”
Falling in Lust

Flove

Meaning:

  • (Verb): To F***ing love something. It’s an extremely enthusiastic way of saying you love something, essentially.
  • Example: “I flove my boyfriend. He’s so freaking amazing.”
Flove

You May Also Like: Slang Words for Boyfriend


G

Go Out With

Meaning:

  • (Verb): To meet someone for a date. It can also mean that you are in a relationship with someone.
  • Example: “I’ve been going out with Jamie for a year.”
Go Out With

H

Head Over Heels for

Meaning:

  • (Phrase): This is sort of like “to carry a torch for,” but a little bit deeper. Saying this implies that you are in love with someone.
  • Example: “I’m head over heels for Becky. She’s all I think about.”
Head Over Heels for

I

ILY/ILU

Meaning:

  • (Phrase): Acronym for “I love you.” Generally only used in text messages.
ILY_ILU

ILYSM

Meaning:

  • (Phrase): Acronym for “I love you so much.” Use it in text format, like with ILY.
ILYSM

L

L-Bomb

Meaning:

  • (Noun): A love confession.
  • Example: “He dropped the l-bomb on me this weekend. I’m not sure how I feel about it, since it was only our first date…”
L-Bomb

LOML

Meaning:

  • (Phrase): Acronym for “love of my life.” This is a title you can give to your significant other or someone you’re deeply in love with. Use this in text form rather than saying it out loud.
  • Example: “My wife is the LOML.”
LOML

Love Lockdown

Meaning:

  • (Noun): The state of having hidden your feelings from someone for various reasons.
  • Example: “I’m in love lockdown. I can’t tell her I love her if I don’t know whether she feels the same way.”
Love Lockdown

Love Triangle

Meaning:

  • (Noun): A situation in which one person is the object of affection for two different people who compete for their heart.
  • Example: “Amber is in a love triangle because both Alex and Diane have a crush on her.”
Love Triangle

Lovebird

Meaning:

  • (Noun): Someone who is in love and very affectionate with another person. Usually used in the plural sense with two people being obviously affectionate towards one another.
  • Example: “Look at those two lovebirds – they can’t stop staring at each other.”
Lovebird

Lovey Dovey

Meaning:

  • (Adjective): Behaving in a way that’s very romantic and cheesy with someone.
  • Example: “Can you guys stop acting all lovey dovey in front of me? I don’t want to be a third wheel.”
Lovey Dovey

Luv

Meaning:

  • (Verb): An alternate way of spelling love.
  • Example: “Would you like it if I said I luv you?”
  • (Noun): A pet name for someone.
  • Example: “How did you sleep last night, luv?”
Luv

O

Olive Juice

Meaning:

  • (Phrase): Another phrase that looks like “I love you” when silently mouthed.
Olive Juice

P

Puppy Love

Meaning;

  • (Noun): A state of emotion in which you think you’re in love with someone, but you don’t know them well enough yet to truly love them. This is usually reserved for young kids and teenagers experiencing their first crushes.
  • Example: “She’s not really in love with him – it’s just puppy love.”
Puppy Love

R

Rawr

Meaning:

  • (Phrase): Comes from an old meme that has its origins in the emo subculture. The joke is that it’s the dinosaur word for “I love you.”
  • Example: “Rawr <3 It’s dinosaur for ILY.”
Rawr

S

Smitten

Meaning:

  • (Adjective): The state of having a crush on or being romantically interested in someone.
  • Example: “Dan is secretly smitten with Rob.”
Smitten

Super Like

Meaning:

  • (Verb): To love or really like someone.
  • Example: “He super likes Mexican food.”
Super Like

T

True Love

Meaning:

  • (Noun): This can refer to the state of being deeply in love with someone or the person you’re in love with. Regardless, it implies that the feelings involved are genuine and permanent.
  • Example: “Andrea is my one true love. I will never want anyone else.”
True Love

W

Wuv

Meaning:

  • (Verb): Another way of spelling and pronouncing love.
Wuv

Wrap Up

If you’re searching for a new way to spice up your next Valentine’s day or date, there are quite a few phrases on this list to choose from. Use whichever one catches your eye to impress the apple of your eye.

Need more words and terms to flatter someone with? You can also take a look at our guide to New York slang words for beautiful.

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