: to electronically register one's approval of (something, such as an online post or comment) for others to see (as by clicking on an icon designed for that purpose)
[Brittany] Bunker then thanked the 477,000 people who had liked her post for their support …—Natalie Cornish
How he picked out this seemingly random user and went ahead and liked the tweet is really surprising …—Zach Pereles
—used interjectionally in informal speech often to emphasize a word or phrase (as in "He was, like, gorgeous") or for an apologetic, vague, or unassertive effect (as in "I need to, like, borrow some money")
they raven down scenery like children do sweetmeats—John Keats
3
a
: in the way or manner that
the violin sounds like an old masterpiece should
did it like you told me
b
—used interjectionally in informal speech often with the verb be to introduce a quotation, paraphrase, or thought expressed by or imputed to the subject of the verb, or with it's to report a generally held opinion
so I'm like, "Give me a break"
it's like, "Who cares what he thinks?"
4
: such as
a bag like a doctor carries
when your car has trouble—like when it won't start
—used interjectionally in informal speech
often stays up late, until like three in the morning
Like vs. as: Usage Guide
Like has been used as a conjunction in ways similar to as since the 14th century. In the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries it was used in serious literature, but not often; in the 17th and 18th centuries it grew more frequent but less literary. It became markedly more frequent in literary use again in the 19th century. By mid-century it was coming under critical fire, but not from grammarians, oddly enough, who were wrangling over whether it could be called a preposition or not. There is no doubt that, after 600 years of use, conjunctive like is firmly established. It has been used by many prestigious literary figures of the past, though perhaps not in their most elevated works; in modern use it may be found in literature, journalism, and scholarly writing. While the present objection to it is perhaps more heated than rational, someone writing in a formal prose style may well prefer to use as, as if, such as, or an entirely different construction instead.
Verb
He likes baseball, but he loves football.
Do you like Mexican food?
I liked the movie a lot more than I thought I would.
I don't know what it is about that guy, but I just don't like him.
They were political allies who truly liked each other.
What is it that you like or dislike about him most?
She says she likes him as a friend but she's not attracted to him.
My boss was a tough guy, but I liked him for his honesty. Adjective
you're not talking about like things when you compare football and golf Preposition
The house looks like a barn.
It's like when we were kids.
She's not at all like her sister.
The baby is more like his mother than his father.
“Who is he like?” “He's not like anyone I've ever met before.” Adverb
the cat would curl up, tightly like, and just go to sleep
the distance is more like 500 miles Conjunction
it looks like it's going to rain at any moment
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
As with many idealistic reformers, Dr. Stockmann seems to like humanity more in theory than in messier reality.—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 There’s a lot to like about brain-computer interfaces, those sci-fi-sounding devices that jack into your skull and turn neural signals into software commands.—Caitlin Kelly, WIRED, 11 Mar. 2024 The Moore household even likes to dress up for the coziest of occasions.—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 My husband likes the help Steve gives him with his computer, etc.—Amy Dickinson, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 White likes to stay at the boutique Newpark Resort, where rooms offer fireplaces and private decks with hot tubs.—Nina Kokotas Hahn, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Mar. 2024 The other color, Pale Blue Metallic, is far more subtle as the name implies, and would be a better choice for those who’d like to be a little more stealthy in their Taycan.—Tim Stevens, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2024 Garabedian’s early interest in science came from his gemologist father who liked to tinker with gadgets and microscopes.—Barbara Bry, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024 America Ferrera had brought her college friend, Tamara, on the advice of Greta Gerwig, who likes to roll with a pack of four, sometimes six, of her best friends from growing up.—Jada Yuan, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024
Preposition
Koo keeps his philanthropic efforts low-key, much like his investments.—Faye Bradley, Variety, 16 Mar. 2024 So why does this just feel like more of the same white noise pitched at a slightly higher frequency?—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024 Getting nude color nail polish is like applying lip gloss.—Larry Stansbury, Essence, 15 Mar. 2024 Conner Prairie, a living history museum, will host Hoosier astronaut Mark Brown, who will teach what life was like living and working in space.—Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 Instead of acting like a coach calling plays, Johnson often behaved like a referee mediating among rival wings of the Republican conference.—David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024 Larson, who has been dedicated to kids like Relisha for decades, still has the smiling girl’s sad-eyed photo up in her office.—Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024 This is the true story of my friend’s grandparents, and no doubt countless others like them.—Madeleine Kearns, National Review, 3 Mar. 2024 Sections like La Veleta and Aldea are newer and dominated by luxury-style apartments, restaurants, and boutiques.—Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 3 Mar. 2024
Noun
In his now-viral video, which currently has over 96,000 likes, Schmidt explained that butter sticks are sold in two different shapes based on where they’re produced.—Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 Cord-cutting due to cheaper streaming video services from the likes of Netflix and Amazon continues to impact video subscriber counts for many pay TV companies, while cable giants like Charter seek to lean into their broadband customers.—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Mar. 2024 Yet, the likes of Kering and Burberry have faced some serious economic headwinds thanks to high inflation and the cost of living crisis.—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 3 Mar. 2024 The video has gone viral, with over 60,000 likes on LinkedIn and counting, and has captured the attention of hundreds of employers.—Jo Constantz, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2024 In honor of those star-making performances, the film's director shared footage of the auditions that started it all — including the likes of Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, and Rob Lowe.—Shania Russell, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 The likes of Matheus Cunha, Hwang Hee-chan and Pedro Neto have thrived under the 40-year-old and there’s potential for the Molineux outfit to make an even greater impression on the Premier League.—Graham Ruthven, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The idea of Twitter joining the likes of Pixar, ESPN, and Lucasfilm under the broader Disney umbrella sounded really appealing.—Kurt Wagner, Fortune, 21 Feb. 2024 According to Tripadvisor reviewers, Europe’s beaches are the best in the world in 2024, beating the likes of the Caribbean and Hawaii to secure the top three spots.—Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
Adverb
For a tiny hint of what that’s like, check out his speech when Yes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2024 The face of the watch isn’t flush like on the Active models, however.—Brandon Widder, The Verge, 16 Dec. 2023 Jeezy is opening up like never before in a new interview with Nia Long.—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 8 Nov. 2023 The trick to wearing glasses that take up half your face is to choose a pair that’s mostly clear—or even better with subtle colored lenses like at Etro or Missoni.—Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2023 From his relationship with Amber Heard to quietly welcoming a third baby with Grimes, here are some of the most surprising revelations from the new book
Elon Musk is opening up like never before in a new biography that's creating headlines.—David Chiu, Peoplemag, 12 Sep. 2023 On the back of each gift card, Best Buy warns customers to never use it for payment outside of Best Buy like for bills, bail or taxes.—USA TODAY, 23 Aug. 2023 There will be a movie theater, upstairs like, sort of, restaurant area.—Lisa Respers France, CNN, 3 July 2023 What were the earliest sharks like, and when did some sharks come to dominate the marine food chain?—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'like.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb and Noun (1)
Middle English, from Old English līcian; akin to Old English gelīc alike
Adjective
Middle English, alteration of ilich, from Old English gelīc like, alike, from ge-, associative prefix + līc body; akin to Old High German gilīh like, alike, Lithuanian lygus like — more at co-
Share