my love
My love (noun) means an affectionate way of addressing a romantic partner. Example: “Goodnight, my love.”
How to Use My love
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA warm name for someone you love — or, in parts of England, for anyone at all.
Intimate in most of the English-speaking world, but purely friendly in much of northern England, where a shopkeeper may use it with a stranger.
In Britain, being called 'love' by a bus driver is not flirtation. In American English the same phrase from a stranger would be startling.
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
Goodnight, _____.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for my love
See all rhymes for my love →Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'my love' romantic or just friendly?
It depends entirely on who says it and where. Between partners it is straightforwardly romantic, but in Yorkshire, Lancashire, the Midlands and much of Ireland it is an everyday courtesy extended to customers and strangers with no romantic weight at all.
What is the difference between 'my love' and 'my darling'?
'My darling' is almost always intimate and slightly more formal or old-fashioned in tone. 'My love' covers the same romantic ground but also survives as a regional term of address for anyone.