for the love of
Idioms-
For the sake of, in consideration of. For example, She signed up for all these volunteer jobs for the love of praise . [c. 1200]
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. 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.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
He added: "I always remembered that I didn't get into cooking for Michelin. I got into it for the love of food and the love of pleasing people."
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2025
“He plays for the love of the game and just because it’s all he knows,” Tyler said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 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
I played for the love of sport, not the glory, for I received none.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
