for the love of

Idioms  

1. For the sake of, in consideration of. For example, She signed up for all these volunteer jobs for the love of praise . [c. 1200]

2. . An exclamation of surprise, exasperation, or some similar feeling, as in For the love of Pete, give me the money! James Joyce used this idiom in Ulysses (1922): “For the love of Mike listen to him.” Pete and Mike are euphemisms for God. [Early 1900s] Also see for the sake of , def. 3.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

for the love of

“Everyone that’s involved is here for the love of animals and the passion and wanting to leave the planet a better place than we have made it,” said Sclimenti, the zoo’s mammal curator.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025

This Halloween, for the love of America—please turn on the porch light, go door-to-door, open your own.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025

"I run the pub for the love of it and for the fact I'm a village girl," she says.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2025

Some actors want success, while others perform for the love of the art.

From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2025

“We can’t go out on the surface, with a robot or without. Oh, for the love of Pete”—and he snapped his fingers twice.

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov