Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Verb from Middle English liken, from Old English līcian (“to please; be sufficient”), from Proto-Germanic *līkāną (“to please”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (“image; likeness; similarity”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian liekje (“to be similar, resemble”), Dutch lijken (“to seem”), German 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 líka (“to like”).
Noun from Middle English like (“pleasure, will, like”), from the verb Middle English liken (“to like”).
Verb
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- To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of.
- Antonyms: dislike, hate, mislike
I like hamburgers.
I like skiing in winter.
I like the Seattle Mariners this season.
-
- He may either go or stay, as he best likes.
1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 24962326:At her invitation he outlined for her the succeeding chapters with terse military accuracy ; and what she liked best and best understood was avoidance of that false modesty which condescends, turning technicality into pabulum.
- (transitive, archaic) To please.
16th century, Sir Philip Sidney, The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia[1]: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.
- (obsolete) To derive pleasure of, by or with someone or something.
1662, Thomas Salusbury, Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Systems of the World, (Dialogue Two):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.
1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 1, in The Celebrity:He used to drop into my chambers once in a while to smoke, and was first-rate company. When I gave a dinner there was generally a cover laid for him. I liked the man for his own sake, and even had he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me.
- To prefer and maintain (an action) as a regular habit or activity.
I like to go to the dentist every six months.
She likes to keep herself physically fit.
we like to keep one around the office just in case.
2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)[2]:People in Washington like to work out!
- (obsolete) To have an appearance or expression; to look; to seem to be (in a specified condition).
c. 1598–1600, William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene iv]:You like well, and bear your years very well.
- (archaic) To come near; to avoid with difficulty; to escape narrowly.
He liked to have been too late.
1760, Horace Walpole, The Letters of Horace Walpole: Fourth Earl of Oxford[3], to George Montagu: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.
- To find attractive; to prefer the company of; to have mild romantic feelings for.
- Synonyms: fancy (British), enjoy, love
- Antonyms: dislike, hate, mislike
I really like Sandra but don't know how to tell her.
- (obsolete) To liken; to compare.
- (Internet, transitive) To show support for, or approval of, something posted on the Internet by marking it with a vote.
- Antonym: unlike
I liked my friend's last status on Facebook.
I can't stand Bloggs' tomato ketchup, but I liked it on Facebook so I could enter a competition.
- (with 'would' and in certain other phrases) To want, desire. See also would like.
Would you like a cigarette?
We could go to the museum if you like.
Usage notes
- In its senses of “enjoy” and “maintain as a regular habit”, like is a catenative verb; in the former, it usually takes a gerund (-ing form), while in the latter, it takes a to-infinitive. See also Appendix:English catenative verbs.
- Like is only used to mean “want” in certain expressions, such as “if you like” and “I would like”. The conditional form, would like, is used quite freely as a polite synonym for want.
Conjugation
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
enjoy
- Afrikaans: hou van
- Albanian: pëlqej (sq)
- American Sign Language: [email protected] [email protected]
- Arabic: حَبَّ (ar) (ḥabba), أَحَبَّ (ʾaḥabba), اِسْتَمْطَعَ (istamṭaʿa), أَعْجَبَ (ʾaʿjaba)
- Egyptian Arabic: حب (ḥabb)
- Armenian: սիրել (hy) (sirel)
- Aromanian: plac, arisescu
- Azerbaijani: xoşlamaq (az), xoşu gəlmək (az), xoşuna gəlmək, bəyənmək (az)
- Belarusian: падаба́цца (be) (padabácca) (intransitive, the person who likes is the object of the verb in the dative case), любі́ць (ljubícʹ) (transitive)
- Bengali: পছন্দ করা (pôchônd kôra)
- Breton: karout (br)
- Bulgarian: харе́свам (bg) impf (harésvam)
- Burmese: ကြိုက် (my) (kruik)
- Catalan: agradar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 喜歡, 喜欢 (hei2 fun1) (formal), 鍾意, 钟意 (zung1 ji3) (vernacular)
- Dungan: щихуан (xihuan), хуанщи (huanxi)
- Mandarin: 喜歡 (zh), 喜欢 (zh) (xǐhuan)
- Min Nan: 佮意 (zh-min-nan) (kah-ì)
- Cornish: kara
- Czech: mít rád (cs), líbit se (with subject and object reversed)
- Danish: kan lide, synes om
- Dutch: houden van, graag (nl) (hebben (nl)), lusten (nl), graag (nl) lusten (nl), leuk (nl) vinden (nl)
- Esperanto: plaĉi al (with subject and object reversed), ŝati (eo) (modern), ami (eo) (traditional)
- Estonian: meeldima (subject and object reversed)
- Faroese: dáma (with subject in dative case and object in accusative case), hóva (with subject in dative case and object in accusative case), líka (with subject in dative case and object in accusative case), falla (with subject in dative case and object in accusative case)
- Finnish: pitää (fi), tykätä (fi), nauttia (fi)
- French: aimer (fr), plaire (à) (fr) (intransitive, the person who likes is the object of the verb), bien aimer
- Galician: gustar
- Georgian: მოსწონს (mosc̣ons)
- German: mögen (de), gern haben (de), gefallen (de) (intransitive, the person who likes is the object of the verb in the dative case)
- Greek: αρέσει (el) (arései), (passive form) αρέσκομαι (el) (aréskomai), προτιμώ (el) (protimó), αγαπώ (el) (agapó)
- Ancient: φιλέω (philéō)
- Hebrew: אהב (he) (aháv)
- Hindi: पसंद करना (pasand karnā) (+ ...ने (ne))
- Hungarian: szeret (hu), kedvel (hu)
- Icelandic: líka (is)
- Ido: prizar (io)
- Indonesian: suka (id)
- Irish: is maith le (with subject and object reversed)
- Isan: please add this translation if you can
- Italian: piacere a (it) (with subject and object reversed)
- Japanese: …が好き (ja) (... がすき, ... ga suki), 好む (ja) (このむ, konomu)
- Kazakh: ұнату (kk) (unatw), жарату (jaratw)
- Khmer: ចូលចិត្ត (coul cət), ចំណូល (km) (cɑmnoul)
- Korean: 좋아하다 (ko) (joahada)
- Kumyk: хошуна гелмек (xoşuna gelmek), гёнгюне гирмек (göñüne girmek), ушатмакъ (uşatmaq), ушатдырмакъ (uşatdırmaq), ушатылмакъ (uşatılmaq), ярамакъ (yaramaq), арив гёрмек (ariw görmek), кепине гелмек (kepine gelmek)
- Kurdish:
- Sorani: Lua error in Module:translations at line 41: The language code "ku" in the first parameter is not valid., Lua error in Module:translations at line 41: The language code "ku" in the first parameter is not valid.
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- Kyrgyz: жактыруу (ky) (caktıruu)
- Lao: ມັກ (mak), ຊອບ (sǭp)
- Latin: amo (la), diligo, placeo, probo (la), approbo (la), fruor
- Latvian: patikt (subject and object reversed)
- Lithuanian: patikti (subject and object reversed)
- Low German:
- German Low German: geernhebben, leefhebben, mögen
- Lü: ᦠᦳᧄ (ḣum)
- Macedonian: се допаѓа impf (se dopaǵa) (intransitive, the person who likes is the object of the verb), се допадне pf (se dopadne)
- Malay: suka (ms)
- Maori: matareka
- Mongolian: дурлах (mn) (durlah), дуртай байх (durtaj bajh), дуртай (durtaj) (suffix)
- Neapolitan: piacé a (with subject and object reversed)
- Nepali: मन पराउनु (man parāunu), राम्रो लाग्नु (rāmro lāgnu)
- Ngazidja Comorian: hwandza, upvendza
- Norman: aimer
- Northern Sami: liikot
- Northern Thai: ᨾᩢ᩠ᨠ (mak), ᩉᩩᨾ (hum), ᨪᩬᨷ (sop)
- Norwegian: like (no), synes om
- Persian: دوست داشتن (fa) (dust dâštan), از ... خوش... آمدن (fa) (az ... xoš-... âmadan)
- Plautdietsch: jleichen
- Polish: lubić (pl), podobać się (pl) impf (intransitive, the person who likes is the object of the verb in the dative case)
- Portuguese: gostar (pt)
- Romanian: plăcea (ro) (with subject and object reversed)
- Russian: нра́виться (ru) impf (nrávitʹsja) (intransitive, the person who likes is the object of the verb in the dative case) (e.g. мне нра́вится (mne nrávitsja) + nominative case - I like + object OR nominative case + мне нра́вится), люби́ть (ru) impf (ljubítʹ)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: волити
- Latin: voliti (sh)
- Shan: please add this translation if you can
- Slovak: mať rád m, mať rada f, páčiť sa, ľúbiť sa
- Slovene: imeti rad
- Sorbian:
- Lower Sorbian: spódobaś se impf, zespódobaś se pf (intransitive, the person who likes is the object of the verb in the dative case)
- Spanish: gustar (es) (with subject and object reversed)
- Swahili: kupenda
- Swedish: tycka om (sv), gilla (sv)
- Tagalog: magustohan
- Tajik: дуст доштан (dust doštan)
- Tamil: விருப்பம் (ta) (viruppam)
- Telugu: ఇస్టపడు (isṭapaḍu)
- Thai: ชอบ (th) (chɔ̂ɔp)
- Turkish: hoşlanmak (tr), sevmek (tr)
- Ukrainian: подо́батися (podóbatysja) (intransitive, the person who likes is the object of the verb in the dative case), люби́ти (ljubýty) (transitive)
- Uzbek: yoqtirmoq (uz)
- Vietnamese: thích (vi)
- Volapük: löfilön (vo), plidön (vo)
- Welsh: hoffi (cy), leicio
- Yiddish: געפֿעלן (gefeln) (intransitive, the person who likes is the object of the verb in the dative case)
- Zazaki: sinayen
- Zhuang: please add this translation if you can
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find attractive
- Afrikaans: hou van
- Arabic: please add this translation if you can
- Armenian: դուր գալ (dur gal) (intransitive), հավանել (hy) (havanel)
- Bulgarian: харесвам (bg) (haresvam)
- Catalan: agradar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 喜歡, 喜欢 (hei2 fun1) (formal), 鍾意, 钟意 (zung1 ji3) (vernacular)
- Dungan: please add this translation if you can
- Mandarin: 喜歡 (zh), 喜欢 (zh) (xǐhuan)
- Min Nan: 佮意 (zh-min-nan) (kah-ì)
- Czech: mít rád (cs), líbit se (with subject and object reversed)
- Dutch: graag hebben, graag zien, zich aangetrokken voelen tot, leuk vinden
- Esperanto: ŝati (eo)
- Finnish: pitää (fi), tykätä (fi)
- French: plaire (fr) (intransitive) (with subject and object reversed)
- Galician: gostar
- Georgian: მოსწონს (mosc̣ons), ეტრფის (eṭrpis), თვალში მოსდის (tvalši mosdis)
- German: mögen (de), gern haben (de), gefallen (de) + dat (with subject and object reversed)
- Greek: αρέσει (el) (arései), αγαπώ (el) (agapó)
- Hebrew: חיבב (ḥibév)
- Hindi: पसंद होना (pasand honā) (intransitive)
- Hungarian: tetszik (hu) (intransitive, the person who likes is the object of the verb in the dative case)
- Icelandic: líka (is)
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- Indonesian: please add this translation if you can
- Italian: piacere (it)
- Japanese: …が好き (ja) (... がすき, ... ga suki), 好む (ja) (このむ, konomu)
- Korean: 좋아하다 (ko) (joahada)
- Kurdish:
- Sorani: Lua error in Module:translations at line 41: The language code "ku" in the first parameter is not valid.
- Malay: suka (ms)
- Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
- Northern Sami: liikot
- Norwegian: like (no), synes om
- Polish: podobać się (pl) (with subject and object reversed), nawidzieć się impf (archaic)
- Portuguese: gostar (pt)
- Russian: нра́виться (ru) impf (nrávitʹsja), понра́виться (ru) pf (ponrávitʹsja) (intransitive)
- Slovene: všeč
- Spanish: gustar (es) (with subject and object reversed)
- Swahili: please add this translation if you can
- Swedish: tycka om (sv), gilla (sv)
- Thai: ชอบ (th) (chɔ̂ɔp)
- Turkish: sevmek (tr), hoşlanmak (tr), hoşuna gitmek, beğenmek (tr)
- Urdu: پسند ہونا (pasand honā) (intransitive)
- Vietnamese: thích (vi)
- Welsh: serchu
- Zazaki: weş şiyayen, rıdyayen
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to show support for, or approval of, something posted on the Internet by marking it with a vote
Noun
like (plural likes)
- (usually in the plural) Something that a person likes (prefers).
- Synonyms: favorite, preference
- Antonyms: dislike, pet hate, pet peeve
Tell me your likes and dislikes.
- (Internet) An individual vote showing support for, or approval of, something posted on the Internet.
2016, Brooke Warner, Green-Light Your Book:Social media is supervisual, and there's nothing more shareable than images, so this is a way to increase shares and likes and follows.
2019, “Balenciaga”, performed by Princess Nokia:Dress for myself, I don't dress for hype / I dress for myself, you dress for the likes
2020 January 17, Amy Chozick, “This Is the Guy Who’s Taking Away the Likes”, in New York Times[4]:Likes are the social media currency undergirding an entire influencer economy, inspiring a million Kardashian wannabes and giving many of us regular people daily endorphin hits.
Translations
something that a person likes
References
Etymology 2
Adjective from Middle English like, lyke, 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).
Adjective
like (comparative more like, superlative most like)
- Similar.
My partner and I have like minds.
- 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, book 2, ch. 3, Landlord Edmund
- […] and this is not a sky, it is a Soul and living Face! Nothing liker the Temple of the Highest, bright with some real effulgence of the Highest, is seen in this world.
1922, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest[5]:She was like a Beardsley Salome, he had said. And indeed she had the narrow eyes and the high cheekbone of that creature, and as nearly the sinuosity as is compatible with human symmetry.
- (obsolete) Likely; probable.
- 1668, Robert South, The Messiah's Sufferings for the Sins of the People (sermon, March 20, 1668)
- But it is like the jolly world about us will scoff at the paradox of these practices.
- Template:RQ:Clarendon Rebellion
- Many were […] not easy to be govern'd, nor like to conform themselves to such strict rules.
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
Adverb
like (comparative more like, superlative most like)
- (obsolete, colloquial) Likely.
- (archaic or rare) In a like or similar manner.
-
- Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
Noun
like (plural likes)
- (sometimes as the likes of) Someone similar to a given person, or something similar to a given object; a comparative; a type; a sort.
There were bowls full of sweets, chocolates and the like.
It was something the likes of which I had never seen before.
- (golf) The stroke that equalizes the number of strokes played by the opposing player or side.
to play the like
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
something similar to a given person or object
- Arabic: مِثْل (ar) m (miṯl), شِبْه (ar) m (šibh)
- Dutch: evenknie (nl) m, dat soort dingen n pl, gelijkaardige dingen n pl, gelijkaardigheden f pl
- Esperanto: simila
- Finnish: lainen (fi), kaltainen (fi)
- German: meinesgleichen (de), deinesgleichen (de), seinesgleichen (de) (his/its like), euresgleichen, unseresgleichen, ihresgleichen
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Conjunction
like
- (colloquial) As, the way.
- As if; as though.
It looks like you've finished the project.
It seemed like you didn't care.
Usage notes
- The American Heritage Dictionary opines that using like as a conjunction, instead of as, the way, as if, or as though, is informal; it has, however, been routine since the Middle English period.
Derived terms
Preposition
like
- Similar to, reminiscent of.
1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 2, in The Celebrity:Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. He was dressed out in broad gaiters and bright tweeds, like an English tourist, and his face might have belonged to Dagon, idol of the Philistines.
1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 1, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path […]. It twisted and turned, […] and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn. And, back of the lawn, was a big, old-fashioned house, with piazzas stretching in front of it, and all blazing with lights. 'Twas the house I'd seen the roof of from the beach.
1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 10, in The Mirror and the Lamp:It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces were fine and mild, yet really strong, like the rector's face; and in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers.
1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess[6]:When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. […]. The captive made no resistance and came not only quietly but in a series of eager little rushes like a timid dog on a choke chain.
2013 June 7, David Simpson, “Fantasy of navigation”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 36:Like most human activities, ballooning has sponsored heroes and hucksters and a good deal in between. For every dedicated scientist patiently recording atmospheric pressure and wind speed while shivering at high altitudes, there is a carnival barker with a bevy of pretty girls willing to dangle from a basket or parachute down to earth.
- Typical of
- It would be just like Achilles to be sulking in his tent.
- Approximating
- Popcorn costs something like $10 dollars at the movies.
- In the manner of, similarly to.
- He doesn't act like a president.
- Such as
- It's for websites like Wikipedia.
- As if there would be.
- It looks like a hot summer in Europe.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
similar to
- Afrikaans: soos (af)
- Albanian: si (sq)
- Arabic: مِثْل (ar) (miṯl), كَـ (ar) (ka-)
- Egyptian Arabic: زي (zayy)
- Armenian: ինչպես (hy) (inčʿpes)
- Belarusian: як (be) (jak)
- Bengali: মত (môt)
- Breton: evel (br)
- Bulgarian: като́ (bg) (kató)
- Burmese: လို (my) (lui)
- Catalan: com (ca)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 好似 (hou2 ci5), 如 (yue) (jyu4) (literary)
- Mandarin: 象 (zh) (xiàng), 相像的 (zh) (xiāngxiàng de), 如 (zh) (rú) (literary), 猶如 (zh) (yóurú) (literary)
- Czech: jako (cs), jak (cs)
- Danish: som (da), lig (da)
- Dutch: zoals (nl), als (nl), lijkend op, gelijk (nl) (maybe only in Flanders)
- Egyptian: (mj)
- Esperanto: kiel (eo), kvazaŭ (eo)
- Faroese: eins og, líkasum
- Finnish: kuten (fi)
- French: comme (fr)
- Georgian: please add this translation if you can
- German: wie (de), nach (de)
- Greek: ως (el) (os), σαν (el) (san)
- Ancient: ὅμοιος (hómoios) (+ dative case), ἐοικώς (eoikṓs) (+ dative case), οἷον (hoîon)
- Hebrew: כמו (he) (kmo)
- Hindi: ... की तरह (... kī tarah), ... तरह (... tarah)
- Hungarian: mint (hu)
- Icelandic: eins og (is), sem (is), líkt og
- Ido: quale (io)
- Irish: ar nós
- Italian: come (it), quale (it)
- Japanese: ...のように (...no yō ni)
- Khmer: ដូច (km) (dooc)
- Korean: 비슷한 (biseuthan), 같은 (ko) (gateun)
- Kurdish:
- Sorani: Lua error in Module:translations at line 41: The language code "ku" in the first parameter is not valid.
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- Lao: ດັ່ງ (dang), ຄື (lo) (khư̄), ທໍ່ (thǭ)
- Latin: sicuti, iuxta, sicut
- Lingala: lokóla
- Lithuanian: lyg
- Northern Sami: nu go
- Norwegian: lik (no), som (no)
- Persian: مثل (fa) (mesl-e), مانند (fa) (mânand)
- Polish: jak (pl)
- Portuguese: como (pt)
- Romanian: ca (ro)
- Russian: как (ru) (kak)
- Sanskrit: इव (sa) (iva)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: ка̏о
- Roman: kȁo (sh)
- Slovak: ako
- Slovene: kot (sl)
- Sorbian:
- Lower Sorbian: ako, kaž
- Spanish: como (es)
- Swedish: som (sv), lik (sv)
- Tajik: мисли (tg) (misli)
- Talysh:
- Asalemi: (postposition) شار (šâr)
- Telugu: లాంటి (lāṇṭi)
- Thai: เหมือน (th) (mʉ̌ʉan), อย่าง (th) (yàang)
- Turkish: gibi (tr)
- Ukrainian: як (uk) (jak)
- Urdu: ... کی طرح (... kī tarah), ... طرح (... tarah)
- Vietnamese: như (vi)
- Welsh: fel (cy)
- West Frisian: lykas
- Zazaki: manen
- Zhuang: please add this translation if you can
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Particle
like
- (colloquial, Scotland, Tyneside, Teesside, Liverpudlian) A delayed filler.
He was so angry, like.
- (colloquial) A mild intensifier.
She was, like, sooooo happy.
- 1972, Charles M. Schulz, Peanuts, December 1:
- [Sally Brown:] Christmas is getting all you can get while the getting is good.
[Charlie Brown:] GIVING! The only real joy is GIVING!
[Sally Brown, rolling her eyes:] Like, wow!
- (colloquial) indicating approximation or uncertainty
There were, like, twenty of them.
And then he, like, got all angry and left the room.
- (colloquial, slang) When preceded by any form of the verb to be, used to mean “to say” or “to think”; used to precede an approximate quotation or paraphrase.
I was like, “Why did you do that?” and he's like, “I don't know.”
- 2006, Lily Allen, Knock 'Em Out
- You're just doing your own thing and some one comes out the blue,
- They're like, "Alright"
- What ya saying, "Yeah can I take your digits?"
- And you're like, "no not in a million years, you're nasty please leave me alone."
Synonyms
Usage notes
The use as a quotative is informal. It is commonly used by young people, and commonly disliked by older generations, especially in repeated use. It may be combined with the use of the present tense as a narrative. Similar terms are to go and all, as in I go, “Why did you do that?” and he goes, “I don't know” and I was all, “Why did you do that?” and he was all, “I don't know.” These expressions can imply that the attributed remark which follows is representative rather than necessarily an exact quotation; however, in speech these structures do tend to require mimicking the original speaker's inflection in a way said would not.
Excessive use of "like" as a meaningless filler is widely criticised.
Translations
colloquial: mild intensifier
colloquial: used to precede paraphrased quotations
Interjection
like
- (Liverpudlian, Tyneside) Used to place emphasis upon a statement.
Divint ye knaa, like?
Etymology 3
From like (adverb) and like (adjective).
Verb
like (third-person singular simple present lik, present participle ing, simple past and past participle liked)
- (chiefly dialectal, intransitive) To be likely.
1837, Earl of Orford Walpole (Horace), Correspondence with George Montagu: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.
References
- A Dictionary of North East Dialect, Bill Griffiths, 2005, Northumbria University Press, →ISBN
- like at OneLook Dictionary Search
Anagrams