What does "dove" mean?
A pigeon, especially one smaller in size and white-colored; a bird (often arbitrarily called either a pigeon or a dove or both) of more than 300 species of the family Columbidae.
Dove
/dʌv/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A pigeon, especially one smaller in size and white-colored; a bird (often arbitrarily called either a pigeon or a dove or both) of more than 300 species of the family Columbidae.
- Grammar: dove is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: angel, atlas, avifauna, babe.
- Useful contrasts: aggressive, aquila, ascend.
- Usage evidence: The dove is a famous symbol for peace.
How to use "dove"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "dove" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "dove" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "dove" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "dove" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "dove" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "angel" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "dove", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A pigeon, especially one smaller in size and white-colored; a bird (often arbitrarily called either a pigeon or a dove or both) of more than 300 species of the family Columbidae. countable
"Dove's brains have been prepared by chefs for amorous expectations."
- 2 any of numerous small pigeons wordnet
- 3 A person favouring conciliation and negotiation rather than conflict. countable
- 4 an emblem of peace wordnet
- 5 Term of endearment for one regarded as pure and gentle. countable
"O my dove, […] let me hear thy voice."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 flesh of a pigeon suitable for roasting or braising; flesh of a dove (young squab) may be broiled wordnet
- 7 A greyish, bluish, pinkish colour like that of the bird. countable, uncountable
- 8 someone who prefers negotiations to armed conflict in the conduct of foreign relations wordnet
- 9 Ellipsis of love dove (“tablet of the drug ecstasy”). abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, slang
Verb
- 1 simple past of dive Canada, US, dialectal, form-of, past
"2007: Bob Harris, Who Hates Whom: Well-Armed Fanatics, Intractable Conflicts, and Various Things Blowing up: A Woefully Incomplete Guide, §: Africa, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Côte d’Ivoire, page 80, ¶ 4 (first edition; Three Rivers Press; →ISBN When coffee and cocoa prices unexpectedly dove, Côte d’Ivoire quickly went from Africa’s rich kid to crippling debtitude."
- 2 past participle of dive form-of, nonstandard, participle, past
Proper Noun
- 1 A river in England, forming the boundary between Derbyshire and Staffordshire. uncountable
- 2 A river in Suffolk, England, a tributary of the Waveney. uncountable
- 3 An unincorporated community in Laclede County, Missouri, United States. uncountable
- 4 A constellation in the Southern Hemisphere near Caelum and Puppis. uncountable
- 5 A surname. uncountable
Antonyms
Example
"The dove is a famous symbol for peace."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "dove"?
Common synonyms include: angel, atlas, avifauna, babe, baby bird, bird.
How do you use "dove" in a sentence?
The dove is a famous symbol for peace.
How do you pronounce "dove"?
Pronounced /dʌv/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ-der.? Proto-Germanic *dūbaną? Proto-Germanic *dūbǭ Proto-West Germanic *dūbā Old English *dūfe Middle English douve English dove Inherited from Middle English douve, dove, duve, from Old English *dūfe (“dove, pigeon”), from Proto-West Germanic *dūbā, from Proto-Germanic *dūbǭ (“dove, pigeon”). Cognate with Scots doo, dow, Saterland Frisian Duuwe, West Frisian do, Dutch duif, Afrikaans duif, Sranan Tongo doifi, German Taube, German Low German Duuv, Dutch Low Saxon duve, doeve, Danish due, Faroese dúgva, Icelandic dúfa, Norwegian Bokmål due, Norwegian Nynorsk due, Swedish duva, Yiddish טויב (toyb), Gothic *𐌳𐌿𐌱𐍉 (*dubō).
Etymology 2
A modern formation of the strong conjugation, by analogy with drive → drove and weave → wove.
Etymology 3
* As an English surname, from the noun dove. * As a Scottish surname, calque of Scottish Gaelic (mac) Calmáin (“(son of the) dove”). Compare Coleman. * Also as a Scottish surname, variant of Duff. * As a north German surname, from the Low German adjective doof (“deaf”); see deaf.