35 Love Idioms to Add Romance to Your Conversations

Starting our list of idioms about love, falling head over heels means being completely in love with another person.

Example:

• John fell head over heels for Mary when they were in high school.
• Me and my partner met in 1990 and fell head over heels with each other.

When two people are a match made in heaven, it means they are a perfect couple suited for each other ideally.

Example:

• Even though they argue like all couples do, they are still a match made in heaven.
• My grandparents were married for 25 years, but they certainly weren’t a match made in heaven.

When someone takes your breath away, it means you are in awe of someone because they are beautiful or marvelous. This love idiom can also be used to describe a scene or situation.

Example:

• When I saw my fiancee in her wedding dress, she took my breath away.
• He takes my breath away with how deliberately he plans our dates.

Being smitten refers to being intensely affected by feelings of attraction, admiration, or love. This idiom can be used towards both a person and inanimate objects.

Example:

• He is totally smitten with his girlfriend, and everyone can see it.
• I was so smitten when I visited Paris — the city of love.

To pop the question means asking someone to marry you.

Example:

• When we were on vacation, Tim finally popped the question.
• We have been together for almost 10 years, I’m starting to doubt he will ever pop the question.

Another one of love idioms related to marriage is to tie the knot, which means to get married.

Example:

• Me and Carl are planning to tie the knot in December.
• Our parents have been so obnoxious with constantly asking us when we are going to tie the knot.

Being crazy in love means madly loving someone to the point of doing irrational things for the relationship. Curiously, this love idiom was majorly popularized when Beyonce’s song of the same name came out in 2003.

Example:

• They are so crazy in love with each other that I doubt they will ever break up.
• The whole school can see that the math teacher and an English teacher are crazy in love, even though they try to hide it.

Having a crush on someone refers to a person having feelings of affection or attraction to them. This idiom can be used in situations when you are already in a relationship with the person or not yet together.

Example:

• Is it wrong to have a crush on a popular musician that I don’t even personally know?
• I have such a big crush on my boyfriend, although I can’t say I love him yet.

Among the similar English idioms about love, to fancy someone means to like a person in a romantic way. You can also use this idiom to describe a liking to a thing or a situation.

Example:

• Don’t you see that Sally really fancies you?
• I really fancy this restaurant, they have such an alluring decor.

Puppy love refers to an infatuation or romantic feelings experienced during childhood or early adolescence. It can also be characterized as the first love a person experiences when they grow up.

Example:

• Our youngest son has his first case of puppy love.
• When our daughter had her first crush, I told her that puppy love doesn’t tend to last long.

Love at first sight refers to an experience of having strong romantic or affectionate feelings for something or someone as soon as a person sees them.

Example:

• When I saw my kitten at the shelter, I had to adopt her immediately, it was love at first sight.
• As soon as I laid my eyes on Julie, I knew it was love at first sight.

As one of the most common romance idioms, the phrase love is blind is used to depict how people in love tend not to notice the faults within their loved ones.

Example:

• Sam is emotionally unstable and can’t support a family, but I guess love is blind.
• My friends tell me that my partner is not attractive, but love is blind, so I don’t care.

When someone whispers sweet nothings, it means they are saying flattering, affectionate, and loving things to a person in an intimate atmosphere.

Example:

• He set up a quiet date on a private beach and was whispering sweet nothings in my ear.
• During our first dance at our wedding, we were whispering sweet nothings to each other as our guests looked at us with endearment.

Following your own heart means doing what you really love and think is right while not paying attention to what other people think about it. It can be considered as one of the idioms about self-love.

Example:

• I am determined to follow my heart, so I enrolled in a university to become a pilot like I always wanted.
• I really disliked the job I was doing, so I followed my heart and finally quit to pursue something I love.

When you say you wear your heart on a sleeve, it means you show your emotions and feelings openly instead of hiding them.

Example:

• When I was young, I used to wear my heart on a sleeve. Now, I have become more cautious.
• Mary is the type of person to wear her heart on a sleeve even though she may get hurt by other people.

A blind date is a love idiom that refers to a romantic arrangement of a meeting when two people have not previously met or, in some instances, even seen each other.

Example:

• My best friend convinced me to try going on a blind date, so let’s see what happens.
• I met my future husband through a blind date, even though it’s considered rare.

Hitting or going through a rough patch means experiencing a difficult or problematic time in your relationship or life in general.

Example:

• They have been together for three years, so it’s inevitable they are going to hit a rough patch somewhere down the line.
• Andrew has been going through a rough patch after his divorce.

Another one of the more melancholy idioms about love on our list, an old flame refers to a former partner that a person used to date in the past.

Example:

• He asked out his old flame to dinner last night to try and fix their relationship.
• My new partner gets jealous over my old flames regardless of how irrational it is.

When you hit it off with someone, it means you instantly form a friendly or romantic connection with the other person.

Example:

• We met in an acting class and hit it off because we had similar ideas and views.
• I hit it off with Mark after our first meeting on a blind date.

To settle down with somebody means to reserve a quiet and peaceful life and get married to your partner.

Example:

• I used to love going out to parties and meeting new people, but now I have settled down with my husband in our countryside.
• I decided to settle down with Nancy and leave my eccentric life behind.

Love-bombing refers to an excessive amount of romantic attention and affectionate behavior. Such love idioms can be used in both positive and negative contexts.

Example:

• Norman has been love-bombing me ever since we moved in together.
• My partner said I was love-bombing them, but I was just trying to show my gratitude towards them.

When someone gives you tough love, it means they are showing affectionate concern in a stern manner to encourage the other person to act better or solve their problems.

Example:

• My mother used a tough love approach to make sure I grew up to be a responsible person.
• My wife says I give our kids too much tough love, but I’m just trying to teach them how to stand up for themselves.

Getting dumped describes a situation when one romantic partner abruptly ends a relationship without discussing it with the other partner.

Example:

• My girlfriend just dumped me two hours ago.
• Should I tell Susan that her boyfriend is planning to dump her this weekend?

The idiom love birds refers to two people who are unmistakably in love with each other, and it shows through their actions. It’s one of the most romantic idioms used to describe a couple.

Example:

• Lawrence and his new girlfriend are such love birds, it’s so cute to witness.
• The two newlywed love birds are off on their romantic honeymoon.

When a person has butterflies in their stomach, it means they have a nervous or excited feeling over a person or an upcoming event.

Example:

• Every time I see her walk past me, I have butterflies in my stomach.
• I have a major case of butterflies in the stomach since it’s going to be our first date tonight.

As a person develops a soft spot for someone, it indicates that they like them very much.

Example:

• As a teacher, I always have a soft spot for my students.
• I think Jerry has a soft spot for me.

When someone is your ride or die, it means they are very loyal to you and will support you no matter what happens. It is considered part of American idioms for love and is rarely used outside of it.

Example:

• My sister is my ride or die, I couldn’t live without her.
• It’s best not to rely on your ride or die every time you get into trouble.

Only having eyes for someone means you are romantically interested or attracted to one other person.

Example:

• He keeps getting jealous even though I tell him I only have eyes for him.
• I’m so in love with my girlfriend that I only have eyes for her.

Being under someone’s spell means being so infatuated with a person that you can’t think about anyone or anything else.

Example:

• Our yoga instructor is so beautiful, I feel like I’m under her spell.
• You need to focus on your exams and stop thinking about Liz, she put you under her spell.

When something, like a relationship, is on the rocks, it means it experiences hardships and will most likely end soon. It’s one of the less commonly used idioms on love and relationship, but still valuable to learn.

Example:

• Tom and Julie have been on the rocks lately, I don’t think they are going to last.
• Me and my dad have been on the rocks for years, so I don’t really want to pick up his calls.

A love triangle is a complex situation in which one person in a relationship is in love with two people simultaneously. The theme of a love triangle can often be found in various movies for English learners.

Example:

• Did you catch up on the new episode of our favorite TV show? There is a love triangle in the making.
• When I was a lot younger, I used to be in a love triangle.

Breaking up with your romantic partner means separating and no longer continuing the relationship.

Example:

• We broke up with Bruce after two years of dating.
• I hope me and my girlfriend never break up.

Going back to more positive romantic idioms, when you kiss and make up, it means you resolve a disagreement with your partner and become sociable again.

Example:

• Each time we have a fight, we kiss and make up after.
• It’s time you two kiss and make up since you haven’t talked for several days.

When you pour your heart out, it means you feel compelled to share your deepest feelings, secrets, or worries with someone because they bother you.

Example:

• I can’t pour my heart out to him right away, we need to form a connection first.
• I finally poured my heart out to her and she comforted me.

Tugging at the heartstrings refers to someone or something causing you to feel sympathetic or upset over a situation or a person.

Example:

• The Notebook is the kind of movie that really tugs at the heartstrings.
• She has a way of tugging at everyone’s heartstrings when she talks about the hardships she went through.