Love idioms are common expressions used to describe romance, relationships, attraction, and emotional connections in everyday English. Below is a practical list of love idioms with clear meanings and natural examples.
Love Idioms in English
Idioms About Dating and Romance
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Blind date | A date between two people who have never met before. | She met her husband on a blind date. |
| Lovey-dovey | A couple that constantly shows affection toward each other. | The newlyweds were acting all lovey-dovey. |
| Go Dutch | To go on a date where each person pays for their own expenses. | They decided to go Dutch on the dinner check. |
| Kiss and make up | To become friends again after an argument. | Let’s kiss and make up. |
| On the rocks | To be experiencing serious problems, usually in a relationship. | I think their marriage is on the rocks. |
| Get serious | To start a long-term, committed relationship. | I don’t want to get serious yet. |
| Get along with | To have a good relationship with someone. | Do you get along with your sisters-in-law? |
| Made for each other | Used when two people seem perfectly suited to one another. | Ann and Robert seem made for each other. |
| Fall in love with somebody | To start developing romantic feelings for someone. | I think I’m falling in love with you. |
| Love at first sight | Falling in love with someone the first time you see them. | When I met Tracy, it was love at first sight. |
| Be an item | Used when two people are in a romantic relationship. | Everyone knows Mia and Lucas are an item now. |
| Match made in heaven | A relationship where two people complement each other extremely well. | They’re a match made in heaven. |
| Fall head over heels in love | To fall completely and deeply in love. | He fell head over heels in love with her. |
| Have the hots for somebody | To feel strong physical attraction toward someone. | He clearly has the hots for his new coworker. |
| Puppy love | A short-lived and immature romantic relationship. | It was just puppy love, and it didn’t last long. |
| Double date | When two couples go out together on a date. | We’re going on a double date this Saturday. |
| Love rat | Someone who cheats on their romantic partner. | She left him after finding out he was a love rat. |
| Pop the question | To ask someone to marry you. | He’s planning to pop the question on their anniversary. |
| Tie the knot | To get married. | They’re going to tie the knot next April. |
| Fix someone up with someone | To arrange a romantic meeting between two people. | Can you fix me up with someone nice? |
Idioms About Breakups and Difficult Relationships
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Walk out on someone | To leave a partner suddenly and end the relationship. | You can’t just walk out on your family. |
| Leave someone at the altar | To decide not to marry someone just before the wedding ceremony. | He left her at the altar and disappeared. |
| Break up | To end a romantic relationship. | They decided to break up after years together. |
| Madly in love | To be extremely and deeply in love. | She’s madly in love with him. |
| No love lost between | Strong dislike or hostility between two people. | There is no love lost between Bart and Stephen. |
Idioms About Deep Affection
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Be smitten with someone | To be strongly attracted to someone and feel very happy because of them. | He was completely smitten with her. |
| Be the apple of someone’s eye | To be deeply loved and treasured by someone. | You are the apple of my eye. |
| Be a soul mate | To be someone who understands and connects with another person completely. | She feels he is her soul mate. |
| Take one’s breath away | To be so beautiful or amazing that it surprises you. | She looked so beautiful in her wedding dress that she took his breath away. |
| Be someone’s one and only | To be the only person someone truly loves. | He calls her his one and only. |
| Have a crush on someone | To feel romantic attraction toward someone, often secretly. | I’ve had a crush on him for months. |
| Love someone with all of one’s heart and soul | To love someone completely and deeply. | She loved her child with all her heart and soul. |
Last Updated on January 23, 2026
