Francisco J. Vare
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Fall Head Over Heels for These 30 English Idioms About Love
Did you know words like crush, fall and smitten can mean positive things?
Or that a triangle can be dangerous?
Have you ever been the apple of someone’s eye?
Idioms are crazy. Crazy fun!
They add flavor to the language in unexpected ways.
They can have surprising meanings that are very far from the words included in them. And native speakers love using them.
Idioms are at the core (center) of every language, and learning them means you get closer to fluency.
English idioms about love are numerous (many).
Some describe the purest forms of love, others make fun of a person’s feelings and there are even a few that have a very dark meaning.
However, together they form a very powerful weapon for learning English vocabulary and expressing ideas.
Today’s list of idioms is about love in all its forms.
You’re going to love them. Trust me.
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Fall Head Over Heels for These 30 English Idioms About Love
1. To fall in love/to fall for someone
When you fall in love with someone, you have a strong attraction to or desire for them.
I think I’m falling in love with you.
You can say the same thing by using to fall for someone.
I think I’m falling for you.
2. To fall out of love
You first fall in love, and then, if it doesn’t go well, you can fall out of love, which normally means that you don’t love that person anymore.
She fell out of love two months ago.
3. To be head over heels in love
If you are or fall head over heels in love with someone, it means you’re completely in love with them.
I fell head over heels in love with you the moment I saw you.
4. A blind date
Going on a blind date doesn’t mean that your date is blind or that you can’t see them.
A blind date is just a romantic meeting between two people who haven’t met before.
I get very nervous when I have to go on a blind date.
Pro tip: My best friend went on a blind date nine years ago, and she and her husband have three children now!
5. To be blinded by love/love is blind
It seems the metaphor of blindness appears often in expressions related to love.
Maybe this has to do with the fact that when we fall in love, we don’t see any defect (imperfection) in the other person, and we blindly (without thinking about it) do anything for them.
This is exactly the meaning of to be blinded by love and the expression love is blind. You love someone so much that everything looks perfect. You can’t see your significant other’s faults (imperfections).
He was so blinded by love that he couldn’t see that she wasn’t faithful.
Mary believes everything Christian says even when he lies to her. Love is blind!
Pro tip: Check out the series “Love Is Blind” on Netflix!
6. To be infatuated
Have you ever had a super strong feeling for someone only to see that feeling disappear in a few days?
If so (if the answer is yes), then you were infatuated.
When we’re infatuated, we can’t think clearly. We’re somehow (in some way) blinded by infatuation.
We think we’re in love, but it’s normally only passion, and it lasts a very short period of time.
Anna is infatuated with her neighbor, Mark.
7. Those three little words
When someone refers to those three little words, they’re talking about the words I love you.
For some people, these words can be difficult to say, or they can even be taboo words (words you shouldn’t use) in some conversations.
If you don’t feel comfortable saying the words I love you, just use this expression instead!
He said those three little words last night. I’m so happy!
You know I don’t want to listen to those three little words anymore.
Pro tip: Play the game “Taboo” to practice your English vocabulary!
8. To have the hots for someone
If you have the hots for someone, you find them very attractive.
I have the hots for Marian.
You can also use the word hot to describe someone who’s attractive.
Wow, Tiff is so hot!
9. Love at first sight
This is an example of an expression that’s literal (it means what it says).
When you fall in love at first sight, you start having strong, romantic feelings the very moment you see a person for the first time.
It was love at first sight, and we’ve been together for 12 years already.
Love at first sight can also be used when talking about animals or even objects.
When I saw the puppy, I knew it was love at first sight.
Mark fell in love at first sight as soon as he saw that car.
Pro-tip: Listen to Kylie Minogue’s song, “Love at First Sight,” to practice this idiom.
10. To be a love rat
Not all idioms about love are positive and full of nice feelings.
Many people normally don’t like rats, so maybe this is the reason why English has the idiom to be a love rat, which describes a person who’s unfaithful to their partner.
John has had affairs with several women. He’s definitely a love rat!
11. A match made in heaven
If a match is made in heaven, it means that two people are perfect for each other.
This is the kind of relationship many of us want in our lives.
Jill and I are a match made in heaven. We couldn’t be happier!
On the other side, we have a match made in hell.
As you can imagine, a couple who are a match made in hell don’t have the best relationship.
They’ve been fighting since they moved in together. They can’t see that they’re a match made in hell.
12. To be an item
When two people are an item, it means they’re together. They’re a couple.
Did you know that Sam and Jeffree are an item?
13. Puppy love
Puppy English is cute, and so is puppy love.
But while it may be cute, it normally just describes infatuation (see the sixth idiom on this list), especially between children or teenagers.
This idiom is most often used by adults to describe young people who’re starting to discover feelings and attraction.
What Timmy and Suzy have is just puppy love, but they look so cute together!
Pro-tip: Watch this video to learn more English vocabulary about puppies!
14. Kiss and make up
No, we’re not talking about English makeup (beauty product) vocabulary. We’re talking about making up.
To kiss and make up means that a couple solves a problem they had and reconciles (they make peace).
They just kissed and made up as if nothing happened.
This expression doesn’t necessarily mean that two people kiss and apologize. It can also be used outside of couples when two people (for example, two friends) stop fighting and forgive each other.
I’m sorry. I don’t want to lose my best friend. Please, let’s kiss and make up.
Pro-tip: Practice this idiom with Dua Lipa’s and BLACKPINK’s superb song, “Kiss and Make Up.”
And, if you really wanted to learn about makeup (beauty products) in English instead, you can watch this video about beauty vocabulary!
15. To be lovey-dovey
If you’re not a fan of PDA (public displays of affection), you probably don’t like couples who are lovey-dovey because this idiom is used to refer to couples that love showing how much they’re in love.
They’re always lovey-dovey. I’m so jealous!
16. To be the apple of someone’s eye
Simply put, the apple of your eye is the person you love the most.
This idiom can be used with a person you have romantic feelings for or with family members (especially kids) and even objects.
You’re the apple of my eye. I love you so much.
It’s clear that little Brian is the apple of her eye.
Unfortunately, his money is the apple of his eye.
17. To be smitten with someone
If you’re smitten with someone, you have strong feelings of affection or attraction for that person.
He’s smitten with his girlfriend. It’s amazing.
You can also use this idiom with animals and people.
I’m smitten with my new puppy.
Thomas is absolutely smitten with New York.
18. To have a crush on someone
Contrary to what you may think, to have a crush on someone doesn’t mean to destroy or be destroyed by someone.
It actually means that you have strong romantic feelings for someone, but normally you don’t know the person very well, and sometimes they may not even know you exist!
I have a crush on a guy I see every day on the bus, but we’ve never spoken.
19. To be under someone’s spell
When you’re under someone’s spell, you’re very attracted to them romantically, but you’re also influenced by them.
This means that sometimes you can be manipulated by the other person (as if they had a real spell on you), so that’s probably why this idiom is normally used negatively.
I don’t know my own brother since he fell under that girl’s spell.
20. To tie the knot
When two people tie the knot, they get married.
Sylvia and Lukas have just tied the knot.
You can also see this idiom used when two or more companies join to become a bigger one.
McThomas and LuggerKing have decided to tie the knot after years of competition for the market.
21. To think that someone hung the moon
If you think someone has hung the moon (and possibly the stars, too) in the sky for you to see, you definitely think they’re the most extraordinary person in the world.
Congratulations, you’re in love!
He adores her. He probably thinks she hung the moon!
You can also use this expression when a little kid loves and admires an adult.
Her little brother thinks she hung the moon and the stars.
22. To be over the moon
And since we’re talking about the moon, have you ever been over it?
If you’re over the moon, you’re blissfully and happily in love.
I’m over the moon ever since I met you.
However, you don’t have to be in love or even be talking about romantic feelings to be over the moon.
I got the job. I’m over the moon!
23. To fall for someone/something hook, line and sinker
When someone falls for someone hook, line and sinker, it means they’re completely infatuated with them.
I completely fell hook, line and sinker for him the moment I saw him.
But when someone falls for something hook, line and sinker, they believe it, even if it’s a lie.
He told her the same old story and she fell hook, line and sinker for it once again.
24. On the rocks
My friend, if your relationship is on the rocks, it’s having difficulties. You better kiss and make up (see the 14th idiom on this list) or break up (see the 29th idiom on this list).
Our relationship has been on the rocks for three months already. I don’t know what to do.
25. To take someone’s breath away
When someone takes your breath away, you have probably fallen in love with them. You think they’re so amazing that you forget to even breathe.
You take my breath away every day.
Things can also take your breath away when you think they’re awesome. They make you have intense feelings, too, but not the romantic kind explained above.
His paintings always take my breath away.
Pro-tip: Practice this idiom with one of the most superb classics in the history of music, Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away.”
26. To pop the question
When someone pops the question, they ask the person they love to marry them.
He was totally surprised when she popped the question!
27. To be in a love triangle
Triangles can be in a math book, in an orchestra and even in a relationship!
A love triangle is a romantic relationship that involves three people instead of two. For example, person A loves person B, but person B loves person C and person C loves person A… confusing!
I would never accept being in a love triangle.
28. To only have eyes for someone
To only have eyes for someone means that you look only at that one person romantically. You’re so in love with them that there’s no other option out there.
Tom only has eyes for you. You’re such a lucky girl!
29. To break up/to split up
This is probably one of the saddest idioms on this list.
If a couple breaks up or splits up, they end their relationship.
Destiny broke up with me last summer.
30. To be the love of someone’s life
If you’re the love of someone’s life, it means that they love you wholeheartedly (with their whole heart, or a lot), and you’re the most important person in their life. They’ll probably also tell you that they want to spend the rest of their life with you.
Marissa, you’re the love of my life. I love you.
And on this sweet note, we’ve finished our list of love idioms!
As you’ve seen, there are a lot of idioms in English to talk about love and relationships.
Some of them are more positive than others, but they all have something in common: They’re often used by native English speakers and are a part of everyday conversations.
The more idioms you learn, the better you’ll be able to express all the nuances this beautiful language has to offer.
Stay in love, my friends, and as always, happy learning!
