Meaning & use
showing love
Last updated
UK/ˌʃəʊɪŋ ˈlʌv/
US/ˌʃoʊɪŋ ˈlʌv/
Meaning
phrase
The act of expressing affection or care for someone through actions or words.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; often follows verbs like 'is' or 'means'.
Patterns
- showing love to someone
- showing love for someone
- a way of showing love
Buying flowers is one way of showing love.
She believes that showing love is more about actions than words.
He has trouble showing love to his family.
Common combinations
- a way of showing love
- Cooking a meal is a way of showing love.
- showing love to someone
- He shows love to his children by spending time with them.
- showing love and affection
- The couple were showing love and affection in public.
Synonyms and how they differ
- expressing affection
- Expressing affection is slightly more formal and often refers to physical gestures, while showing love can include any caring action.
- demonstrating love
- Demonstrating love is more formal and often used in writing about relationships.
Opposites
showing indifferenceshowing hatred
Word family
- show love phrase
- The verb phrase meaning to express love.
Commonly confused: showing love or making love?
showing love vs making love
Making love is a euphemism for having sex, while showing love is about expressing affection in general.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'showing love' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Showing love means expressing affection or care, so taking a dog for a walk fits. The other options describe actions that are not loving.
Make it your own
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