Definition of like

What does the word like mean?

• part of speech: verb transitive

  Be pleasing to (archaic or facet.; chiefly impers., it likes me not, well, &c.); thrive (obs. exc. in well-liking); find agreeable, congenial, or satisfactory, feel attracted by, wish for, (I l. you, the offer, his visits, iron. his impudence, her to be within reach, to see them now& then; do not l. such subjects discussed; should much l. to come; should l. to know or see iron., think you will find it hard to tell me, am not likely to see; should l. time to consider it; how do you l. it?, do you l. it much or little or dislike it?), whence likable a., likableness n.; suit (only in I l. it, i. e. kind of food, but it does not l. me); (n., usu. pl.) liking (s), predilection (s), (esp. II. & dislikes). [old English]

• part of speech: noun

  (esp.) in a notable degree (in proverbial or facet. pseudo-proverbial phrr.: blush l. a peony, come down l. a hundred of bricks, drink l. a fish, fight l. cat and dog, fit l. a glove, get on l. a house on fire, lie l. a gasmeter, sell l. hot cake, smoke i.e. tobacco l. a chimney, spread l. wildfire, stick l. a leech, stink l. a badger, swear l. a trooper, swim l. a duck; less usu. w. noun in objective relation, hate person &c. l. poison, scatter them l. chaff).

• part of speech: adjective

  (often governing noun like trans. part.; more, most, rarely or poet. -er, -est), prep., adv. (archaic), conj. (vulg.), & n. Similar, resembling something or each other or the original, (in l. manner or wise; on this& the l. subjects; the two letters are very l.; l. master l. man, as the one is so will the other be; the picture is not l.; in Alg., l. signs, both positive or both negative, l. quantities, expressed by same letters; sometimes with with, as beings of l. passions with us; now rarely, & chiefly in comp. -er, with to, as liker to God than man); resembling, such as, (nothing l. LEATHER, as good as; what is he, it, l.?, what sort of person or thing is he or it?; look l., have appearance of; l. that, of the kind just seen or referred to; a critic l. you, of the class that you exemplify; something l. $1,000, nearly, about; something like a day, with stress on like, remarkably fine or otherwise satisfactory; so abs., this is something like; nothing l. as good, not nearly); characteristic of (that is l. your impudence; it was l. him to think of himself last); in promising state or right mood for doing (looks l. lasting; feel l. working or stopping work; also look l. with n. =promise the finding or suggest the agency of, as looks l. rabbits); (archaic) likely, (archaic& colloq.) likely to (had, =was, l. to have done, narrowly escaped doing); l.-minded, having same tastes, views, &c. (Prep.) in the manner of, to the same degree as, (cannot do it l. you; do not talk l. that; l. a shot, without demur, willingly, regardless of consequences; l. fun, blazes, one o\'clock, anything, mad, &c., vigorously. (Adv.) in the same manner as (archaic); probably (now only in very l., l. enough, usu. parenthetic); (vulg.) so to speak (by way of argument l.). (Conj.; for archaic l. as; vulg. & colloq.) as (cannot do it l. you do; snow is falling l. in January). (N.) counterpart, equal, l. thing or person, (mix with your II.; shall not see his l. again; l. cures l.; the ll. of me colloq., persons so humble as I; the ll. of you colloq., persons so distinguished as you); (Golf) stroke that equalizes number of strokes played by each side; (ellipt. use of adj. with pl. l.) thing (s) of the same kind (will never do the l. again; & the l. often as pl. =etcetera, as music, painting, & the l.). [Middle English]