like

English Online Dictionary. What means like‎? What does like mean?

English

Alternative forms

• lak

Pronunciation

• enPR: līk, IPA^(key): /laɪ̯k/
• (MLE, Jamaica) IPA^(key): /læ̙ːk/, /lɑːk/
• (DE) IPA^(key): /lɔɪ̯k/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /lʌɪk/, [ləi̯k]
• Rhymes: -aɪk

Etymology 1

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

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, disapprove

   1. (transitive, archaic) To please (same meaning as above but with subject and object reversed).
   2. (obsolete) To derive pleasure [with of or by or with ‘from someone or something’].
2. To prefer and maintain (an action) as a regular habit or activity.

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

   Synonyms: (British) fancy, enjoy, love

   Antonyms: dislike, hate, mislike
4. (with 'would' and in certain other phrases) To want, desire. See also would like.

6. (Internet, social media, transitive) To show support for, or approval of, something posted on the Internet by marking it with a vote.

   Antonyms: unlike, dislike

   Coordinate terms: heart, love
7. Of inanimate objects:
   1. (informal, personification) To be prone to.

   2. (informal, chiefly in the negative) Of a computer or other system: to tolerate as an input; to accept.

8. (archaic) To come near; to avoid with difficulty; to escape narrowly.
9. (obsolete) To have an appearance or expression; to look; to seem to be (in a specified condition).
10. (obsolete) To liken; to compare.

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.

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

• Jersey Dutch: lāike

Translations

Noun

like (plural likes)

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

   Synonyms: favorite, preference

   Antonyms: dislike, pet hate, pet peeve

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

Derived terms

• like farm

Descendants

• → Russian: лайк (lajk)
• → Ukrainian: лайк (lajk)
• → Spanish: like, likear

Translations

References

• like on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 2

Adjective from Middle English lik, lyk, lich, like, 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

like (comparative more like, superlative most like)

1. Similar.
2. (archaic or 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.
3. (Scotland, Southern US, otherwise archaic, usually with to) inclined (to), prone (to).

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

like (comparative more like, superlative most like)

1. (obsolete, colloquial) Likely.
2. (archaic or rare) In a like or similar manner.

Noun

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.
   • 1935, Winston Churchill on T.E. Lawrence

     We shall never see his like again.
3. (golf) The stroke that equalizes the number of strokes played by the opposing player or side.

Synonyms

• ilk

Antonyms

• antithesis, opposite

Derived terms

• and the like
• like-for-like
• likeless

Translations

Conjunction

like

See Usage notes below.

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

     Winston tastes good like a cigarette should
2. (usually colloquial) As if; as though.

Usage notes

• The American Heritage Dictionary opines that using like as a conjunction, instead of as, the way, as if, or as though, is strictly 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. The Oxford English Dictionary 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

See Category:English similes.

Preposition

like

1. Similar to, reminiscent of
2. Typical of

3. Approximating

4. In the manner of, similarly to

5. Such as

6. As if there would be

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

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

• unlike

Derived terms

See Category:English similes.

Translations

Particle

like

1. Likely.
2. (colloquial, Scotland, Ireland, Geordie, Teesside, Liverpool) A delayed filler.

3. (colloquial) Indicating approximation or uncertainty.
4. (colloquial) Used to precede an approximate quotation or paraphrase or an expression of something that happened.

Usage notes

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.

Synonyms

• (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

Derived terms

• be like

Translations

Etymology 3

From like (adverb) and like (adjective).

Verb

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

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

References

• Bill Griffiths, editor (2004), “like”, in A Dictionary of North East Dialect, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear: Northumbria University Press, →ISBN.
• “like”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Further reading

• “I'm (like) ” from Language Log

Anagrams

• Kiel, Kile, kile, liek

Chinese

Etymology

Borrowed from English like.

Pronunciation

Noun

like

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, social media) like
2. (Hong Kong Cantonese, figuratively) appreciation; approval

Derived terms

Verb

like

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

See also

• likey

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from English like.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [lɑjɡ̊]

Noun

like n (singular definite liket, plural indefinite likes)

1. (Internet) like

Verb

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

1. (Internet) to like

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English like.

Pronunciation

• Homophones: likent, likes

Verb

like

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

Noun

like m (plural des likes)

1. (Internet) a like

   Synonym: j’aime

German

Verb

like

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

Hawaiian

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈli.ke/

Verb

like

1. (stative) like, alike, similar

Derived terms

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

References

• Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H. (1986) “like”, in Hawaiian Dictionary, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press

Middle English

Verb

like

1. Alternative form of liken (“to like”)

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

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

Verb

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

1. to like

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

like

1. definite singular of lik
2. plural of lik

Etymology 3

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

Adverb

like

1. as, equally

Derived terms

• likefullt, like fullt
• likeledes
• likeså

References

• “like” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²liːkə/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Norse líka.

Alternative forms

• lika

Verb

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

Adjective

like

1. definite singular of lik
2. plural of lik

Etymology 3

Inherited from Old Norse líka.

Adverb

like

1. as, equally

2. just, immediately

References

• “like” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English like.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlajk/
• Rhymes: -ajk
• Syllabification: like

Noun

like m animal

1. (colloquial, neologism, social media) Alternative spelling of lajk

   Antonym: dislike

Declension

Further reading

• like in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English like.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ajki

Noun

like m (plural likes)

1. (Brazil, social media) like (Internet interaction)

   Synonyms: (Brazil) curtida, (Brazil) joinha, (Portugal) gosto

Derived terms

• dar like

Scots

Etymology

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

Verb

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

like (not comparable)

1. like

Interjection

like

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

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

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English like.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

like m (plural likes)

1. (Internet slang) like

Usage notes

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

Adjective

like

1. definite natural masculine singular of lik

Noun

like c

1. a like
   1. a match (someone similarly skillful)

Declension

See also

• make

References

• like in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• like in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• like in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)