Like

/laɪ̯k/ adj, adv, conj, name, noun, particle, prep, verb, slang

adj, adv, conj, name, noun, particle, prep, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: Something that a person likes (prefers).
  • Grammar: like is listed as adj, adv, conj, name, noun, particle, prep, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: ilk, -ly, accept, admiration.
  • Useful contrasts: abhorring, antithesis, conciseness.
  • Usage evidence: I've always wondered what it'd be like to have siblings.

How to use "like"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "like" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. 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 "like" 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 "like" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "like" 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 "like" is acting as adj, adv, conj, name, noun, particle, prep, 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 "ilk" 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 "like", 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. 1
    Something that a person likes (prefers). in-plural

    "Tell me your likes and dislikes."

  2. 2
    Someone similar to a given person, or something similar to a given object; a comparative; a type; a sort. countable, sometimes, uncountable

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

  3. 3
    a kind of person wordnet
  4. 4
    An individual vote showing support for, approval of, or enjoyment of, something posted on the Internet. Internet

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

  5. 5
    The stroke that equalizes the number of strokes played by the opposing player or side. countable, uncountable

    "to play the like"

Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    a similar kind wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of.

    "I like reading books."

  2. 2
    To be likely. dialectal, intransitive

    "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."

  3. 3
    feel about or towards; consider, evaluate, or regard wordnet
  4. 4
    To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of.; To please (same meaning as above but with subject and object reversed). archaic, transitive

    "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."

  5. 5
    be fond of wordnet
Show 13 more definitions
  1. 6
    To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of.; To derive pleasure [with of or by or with ‘from someone or something’]. obsolete

    "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."

  2. 7
    find enjoyable or agreeable wordnet
  3. 8
    To prefer and maintain (an action) as a regular habit or activity.

    "I like to go to the dentist every six months."

  4. 9
    to hope, to desire or to prefer to have something, or to do something wordnet
  5. 10
    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."

  6. 11
    want to have wordnet
  7. 12
    To want, desire. See also would like.

    "Would you like a cigarette?"

  8. 13
    To show support for, or approval of, something posted on the Internet by marking it with a vote. Internet, transitive

    "I liked my friend's last status on Facebook."

  9. 14
    Of inanimate objects:; To be prone to. informal

    "Too bad this cheese likes to stick to the pan and ruin the whole meal."

  10. 15
    Of inanimate objects:; Of a computer or other system: to tolerate as an input; to accept. informal

    "This self-service checkout doesn't seem to like my credit card."

  11. 16
    To come near; to avoid with difficulty; to escape narrowly. archaic

    "He liked to have been too late."

  12. 17
    To have an appearance or expression; to look; to seem to be (in a specified condition). obsolete

    "You like well, and bear your years very well."

  13. 18
    To liken; to compare. obsolete

    "And like me to the peasant boys of France."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Similar.

    "My partner and I have like minds."

  2. 2
    Likely; probable. Scotland, Southern-US, archaic

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

  3. 3
    inclined (to), prone (to). Scotland, Southern-US, usually

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

Adjective
  1. 1
    resembling or similar; having the same or some of the same characteristics; often used in combination wordnet
  2. 2
    having the same or similar characteristics wordnet
  3. 3
    equal in amount or value wordnet
  4. 4
    conforming in every respect wordnet
Adverb
  1. 1
    Likely. colloquial, dialectal, obsolete

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

  2. 2
    In a like or similar manner. archaic, rare

    "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him."

Conjunction
  1. 1
    As, the way. colloquial

    "1966, Advertising slogan for Winston cigarettes Winston tastes good like a cigarette should"

  2. 2
    As if; as though; such as. colloquial, usually

    "It looks like you've finished the project."

Preposition
  1. 1
    Similar to, reminiscent of.

    "Folk like that I just can’t brook."

  2. 2
    Typical of.

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

  3. 3
    Approximating.

    "Popcorn costs something like 10 dollars at the movies."

  4. 4
    In the manner of, similarly to.

    "He doesn't act like a president."

  5. 5
    Such as.

    "It's for websites like Wikipedia."

Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    As if there would be.

    "It looks like a hot summer in Europe."

  2. 7
    Used to ask for a description or opinion of someone or something.

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

Particle
  1. 1
    A delayed filler. Geordie, Ireland, Scotland, Teesside, colloquial

    "He was so angry, like."

  2. 2
    Indicating approximation or uncertainty. colloquial

    "There were, like, twenty of them."

  3. 3
    Used to precede an approximate quotation or paraphrase or an expression of something that happened. colloquial

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

  4. 4
    a discourse marker used to highlight or put focus on new information or a new development in a story colloquial

    "She was, like, sooooo happy."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.

Synonyms

All synonyms
ilk-lyacceptadmirationadmireadmire

Example

"I've always wondered what it'd be like to have siblings."

Common questions

What does "like" mean?

Something that a person likes (prefers).

What is a synonym for "like"?

Common synonyms include: ilk, -ly, accept, admiration, admire, admire.

How do you use "like" in a sentence?

I've always wondered what it'd be like to have siblings.

How do you pronounce "like"?

Pronounced /laɪ̯k/.

Etymology

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”), West Frisian lykje (“to seem, appear, look”), Dutch lijken (“to seem”), 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 and Faroese líka (“to like”). Noun from Middle English like (“pleasure, will, like”), from the verb Middle English liken (“to like”).

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).

Etymology 3

From like (adverb) and like (adjective).

Etymology 4

From the Dutch surname, probably a variant of Luik, a city in Belgium.

More for "like"

Synonyms

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