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Definition and meaning of like
Definitions
like (n.)
1.a person who is of equal standing with another in a group
2.a kind of person"We'll not see his like again" "I can't tolerate people of his ilk"
3.a similar kind"dogs, foxes, and the like" "we don't want the likes of you around here"
like (adj.)
1.closely similar or comparable in kind or quality or quantity or degree"curtains the same color as the walls" "two girls of the same age" "mother and son have the same blue eyes" "animals of the same species" "the same rules as before" "two box..."
2.resembling or similar; having the same or some of the same characteristics; often used in combination"suits of like design" "a limited circle of like minds" "members of the cat family have like dispositions" "as like as two peas in a pod" "dogl..."
3.having the same or similar characteristics"all politicians are alike" "they looked utterly alike" "friends are generally alike in background and taste"
4.equal in amount or value"like amounts" "equivalent amounts" "the same amount" "gave one six blows and the other a like number" "the same number"
5.conforming in every respect"boxes with corresponding dimensions" "the like period of the preceding year"
like (v. trans.)
1.feel about or towards; consider, evaluate, or regard"How did you like the President's speech last night?"
2.be fond of"I like my nephews"
3.find enjoyable or agreeable"I like jogging" "She likes to read Russian novels"
4.prefer or wish to do something"Do you care to try this dish?" "Would you like to come along to the movies?"
5.want to have"I'd like a beer now!"
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Merriam Webster
LikeLike (līk), a. [Compar. Liker (līk"ẽr); superl. Likest.] [OE. lik, ilik, gelic, AS. gelīc, fr. pref. ge- + līc body, and orig. meaning, having the same body, shape, or appearance, and hence, like; akin to OS. gilīk, D. gelijk, G. gleich, OHG. gilīh, Icel. līkr, glīkr, Dan. lig, Sw. lik, Goth. galeiks, OS. lik body, D. lijk, G. leiche, Icel. līk, Sw. lik, Goth. leik. The English adverbial ending-ly is from the same adjective. Cf. Each, Such, Which.]
1. Having the same, or nearly the same, appearance, qualities, or characteristics; resembling; similar to; similar; alike; -- often with in and the particulars of the resemblance; as, they are like each other in features, complexion, and many traits of character.
'T is as like you
As cherry is to cherry. Shak.
Like master, like man. Old Prov.
He giveth snow like wool; he scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes. Ps. cxlvii. 16.
☞ To, which formerly often followed like, is now usually omitted.
2. Equal, or nearly equal; as, fields of like extent.
More clergymen were impoverished by the late war than ever in the like space before. Sprat.
3. Having probability; affording probability; probable; likely. [Likely is more used now.] Shak.
But it is like the jolly world about us will scoff at the paradox of these practices. South.
Many were not easy to be governed, nor like to conform themselves to strict rules. Clarendon.
4. Inclined toward; disposed to; as, to feel like taking a walk.
Had like (followed by the infinitive), had nearly; came little short of.
Had like to have been my utter overthrow. Sir W. Raleigh
Ramona had like to have said the literal truth, . . . but recollected herself in time. Mrs. H. H. Jackson.
Like figures (Geom.), similar figures.
☞ Like is used as a suffix, converting nouns into adjectives expressing resemblance to the noun; as, manlike, like a man; childlike, like a child; godlike, like a god, etc. Such compounds are readily formed whenever convenient, and several, as crescentlike, serpentlike, hairlike, etc., are used in this book, although, in some cases, not entered in the vocabulary. Such combinations as bell-like, ball-like, etc., are hyphened.
LikeLike, n.
1. That which is equal or similar to another; the counterpart; an exact resemblance; a copy.
He was a man, take him for all in all,
I shall not look upon his like again. Shak.
2. A liking; a preference; inclination; -- usually in pl.; as, we all have likes and dislikes.
3. (Golf) The stroke which equalizes the number of strokes played by the opposing player or side; as, to play the like.
LikeLike, adv. [AS. gelīce. See Like, a.]
1. In a manner like that of; in a manner similar to; as, do not act like him.
He maketh them to stagger like a drunken man. Job xii. 25.
☞ Like, as here used, is regarded by some grammarians as a preposition.
2. In a like or similar manner. Shak.
Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. Ps. ciii. 13.
3. Likely; probably. “Like enough it will.” Shak.
LikeLike, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Liked (līkt); p. pr. & vb. n. Liking.] [OE. liken to please, AS. līcian, gelīcian, fr. gelīc. See Like, a.]
1. To suit; to please; to be agreeable to. [Obs.]
Cornwall him liked best, therefore he chose there. R. of Gloucester.
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-favored creature. Sir P. Sidney.
2. To be pleased with in a moderate degree; to approve; to take satisfaction in; to enjoy.
He proceeded from looking to liking, and from liking to loving. Sir P. Sidney.
3. To liken; to compare. [Obs.]
Like me to the peasant boys of France. Shak.
LikeLike (līk), v. i.
1. To be pleased; to choose.
He may either go or stay, as he best likes. Locke.
2. To have an appearance or expression; to look; to seem to be (in a specified condition). [Obs.]
You like well, and bear your years very well. Shak.
3. To come near; to avoid with difficulty; to escape narrowly; as, he liked to have been too late. Cf. Had like, under Like, a. [Colloq.]
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. Walpole.
To like of, to be pleased with. [Obs.] Massinger.
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Definition (more)
⇨ definition of Wikipedia
Synonyms
like (adj.)
alike, comparable, corresponding, lifelike, parallel, resembling, same, similar, sister
like (v. trans.)
be fond of, be keen on, be thirsty for, be willing to, care, care for, cherish, enjoy, hunger, long for, love, thirst after, thirst for, want, want to, wish
See also
like (adj.)
↘ equivalence, equivalency ↗ correspondence, likeness, resemblance, similarity ≠ different, dissimilar, unalike, unlike
Phrases
⇨ act like • business-like • feel like • like a duck takes to water • like a fish out of water • like a house on fire • like a shot • like an expert • like anything • like as • like as not • like better • like blue murder • like clockwork • like crazy • like enough • like father, like son • like fury • like greased lightning • like grim death • like hell • like hot cakes • like kings • like lightning • like mad • like magic • like polarization data • like royalty • like sin • like that • like the clappers • like the devil • like the wind • like this • like thunder • like to • like to know if • like to know whether • like-minded • like-minded person • like-mindedness • look like • machine-like • not like • the like
Analogical dictionary
like
like (adj.)
qui est proche, peu différent (fr)[Classe]
un (non spécifié, quelconque) (fr)[Classe]
(portrayal; description)[termes liés]
(portrait; mug shot; mugshot)[termes liés]
like (adj.)
like (adj.)
similarity - alikeness, likeness, similitude[Dérivé]
dissimilar, unalike[Ant.]
like (adj.)
alike, lifelike, like, resembling, same[Similaire]
like (adv.)
en toute apparence (fr)[Classe]
like (n.)
personne égale d'une autre (fr)[Classe]
individual, mortal, person, sb, somebody, someone, soul[Hyper.]
peer group[membre]
equal, equalise, equalize, equate, level, level off, level out, match - compare, equate, equate with, liken, put on a par, put on a par with, treat as equals, treat as equivalent, treat as equivalent to - equal, match, rival, touch - equal, the same[Dérivé]
like (n.)
form, kind, sort, variety[Hyper.]
like (n.)
form, kind, sort, variety[Hyper.]
like (prep.)
en tant que (fr)[Classe]
like (v. tr.)
like (v. tr.)
like (v. tr.)
approve[Domaine]
like (v. tr.)
daigner (fr)[Classe]
like (v. tr.)
Wikipedia
Like
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This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2007) |
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.
Contents |
As a preposition used in comparisons
Like is one of the words in the English language that can introduce a simile (a stylistic device comparing two dissimilar ideas) as in, "He plays like Okocha". It can also be used in non-simile comparisons such as, "He has a toy like hers".
As a conjunction
Like is often used in place of the subordinating conjunction as, or as if. Examples:
- They look like they have been having fun.
- They look as if they have been having fun.
Many people became aware of the two options in 1954, when a famous ad campaign for Winston cigarettes introduced the slogan "Winston tastes good — like a cigarette should." The slogan was criticized for its usage by prescriptivists, the "as" construction being considered more proper. Winston countered with another ad, featuring a woman with greying hair in a bun who insists that ought to be "Winston tastes good as a cigarette should" and is shouted down by happy cigarette smokers asking "What do you want — good grammar or good taste?"
The appropriateness of its usage as a conjunction is still disputed, however. In some circles it is considered a faux pas to use like instead of as or as if, whereas in other circles as sounds stilted.
As a verb
Generally as a verb like refers to a fondness for something or someone. Example:
- I like riding my bicycle.
Like can be used to express a feeling of attraction between two people, weaker than love and distinct from it in important ways. It does not necessarily imply a romantic attraction, but, as in the following case, it does. Examples:
- Marc likes Denise.
- Denise likes Marc.
In online communities (social networking or media sharing portals, e.g. on Facebook or YouTube), dedicated visual GUI elements (icons, buttons etc.) provide for users the option to like certain persons, groups, pages, status, posts, comments, published links, videos, photos etc., thus displaying their personal attraction, acknowledgement or sympathy with the "liked" object, and this "liked" status will be constantly displayed. Some communities apply a "dislike" option (as opposed to "like"), some even make possible to withdraw one's "like". This has become especially popular on Facebook, where people may even post giant 'like' images publicly as a sign of affection. Examples:
- You like this.
- You and 17 other persons like this.
- John Doe likes your link.
The word can also be redoubled (often in a more juvenile sense) to indicate a more romantic interest, often with increased stress on the first 'like.' The functional basis for this repetition is a heavy emphasis on the root meaning of 'like,' which is 'to favor.'
- I know you like Sam, but do you like like her?
Bibliography
- Andersen, Gisle; (1998). The pragmatic marker like from a relevance-theoretic perspective. In A. H. Jucker & Y. Ziv (Eds.) Discourse markers: Descriptions and theory (pp. 147–70). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
- Andersen, Gisle; (2000). The role of the pragmatic marker like in utterance interpretation. In G. Andersen & T. Fretheim (Ed.), Pragmatic markers and propositional attitude: Pragmatics and beyond (pp. 79). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
- Barbieri, Federica. (2005). Quotative use in American English. A corpus-based, cross-register comparison. Journal of English Linguistics, 33, (3), 225-256.
- Barbieri, Federica. (2007). 'Older men and younger women': A corpus-based study of quotative use in American English. English World-Wide, 28, (1), 23-45.
- Blyth, Carl, Jr.; Recktenwald, Sigrid; & Wang, Jenny. (1990). I'm like, 'say what?!': A new quotative in American oral narrative. American Speech, 65, 215-227.
- Cukor-Avila, Patricia; (2002). She say, she go, she be like: Verbs of quotation over time in African American Vernacular English. American Speech, 77 (1), 3-31.
- Dailey-O'Cain, Jennifer. (2000). The sociolinguistic distribution of and attitudes toward focuser like and quotative like. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 4, 60–80.
- Ferrara, Kathleen; & Bell, Barbara. (1995). Sociolinguistic variation and discourse function of constructed dialogue introducers: The case of be+like. American Speech, 70, 265-289.
- Fleischman, Suzanne. (1998). Des jumeaux du discours. La Linguistique, 34 (2), 31-47.
- Golato, Andrea; (2000). An innovative German quotative for reporting on embodied actions: Und ich so/und er so 'and I’m like/and he’s like'. Journal of Pragmatics, 32, 29–54.
- Jones, Graham M. & Schieffelin, Bambi B. (2009). Enquoting Voices, Accomplishing Talk: Uses of Be+Like in Instant Messaging. Language & Communication, 29(1), 77-113.
- Jucker, Andreas H.; & Smith, Sara W. (1998). And people just you know like 'wow': Discourse markers as negotiating strategies. In A. H. Jucker & Y. Ziv (Eds.), Discourse markers: Descriptions and theory (pp. 171–201). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
- Miller, Jim; Weinert, Regina. (1995). The function of like in dialogue. Journal of Pragmatics, 23, 365-93.
- Romaine, Suzanne; Lange, Deborah. (1991). The use of like as a marker of reported speech and thought: A case of grammaticalization in progress. American Speech, 66, 227-279.
- Ross, John R.; & Cooper, William E. (1979). Like syntax. In W. E. Cooper & E. C. T. Walker (Eds.), Sentence processing: Psycholinguistic studies presented to Merrill Garrett (pp. 343–418). New York: Erlbaum Associates.
- Schourup, L. (1985). Common discourse particles: "Like", "well", "y'know". New York: Garland.
- Siegel, Muffy E. A. (2002). Like: The discourse particle and semantics. Journal of Semantics, 19 (1), 35-71.
- Taglimonte, Sali; & Hudson, Rachel. (1999). Be like et al. beyond America: The quotative system in British and Canadian youth. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 3 (2), 147-172.
- Tagliamonte, Sali, and Alex D'Arcy. (2004). He's like, she's like: The quotative system in Canadian youth. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 8 (4), 493-514.
- Underhill, Robert; (1988). Like is like, focus. American Speech, 63, 234-246.
External links
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Look up like in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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