make love
Share physical intimacy
Make love is a euphemism for having sex, typically implying emotional intimacy or tenderness rather than purely physical coupling: They made love for the first time.
The phrase once meant simply to woo or court someone—to pay romantic attention—but this older sense has largely disappeared.
Making love now almost always means intercourse.
Hold closely in arms
- closenessState of proximity
- tendernessGentle, caring quality
- caressGentle loving touch
- touchPerceiving through physical contact
skin · pillow talk · afterglow · vulnerability · connection · sensuality · physicality · warmth
Intense wanting
- lustIntense carnal appetite
- ardorIntense emotional warmth
- longingIntense, persistent desire
- eroticismSexual desire's aesthetic quality
heat · fire · craving · hunger · ecstasy · climax · arousal · seduction
Firm pledge to act
- partnershipShared business arrangement
- marriageFormal union between partners
- spouseMarried partner
- husbandMarried man's role
wife · partner · fidelity · monogamy · couple · soulmate · devotion · wedding night
Openness to act
- mutualShared between parties
- agreementShared position between parties
- trustConfidence in another
- respectRegard with honor
communication · boundaries · permission · comfort · safety · choice · autonomy · enthusiastic
Seeking another's romantic favor
- candlelightLuminescence from burning wick
- moonlightReflected solar radiance, nocturnal
- amourRomantic liaison, often illicit
- trystSecret romantic meeting
rendezvous · honeymoon · sweetheart · valentine · serenade · flowers · champagne · lingerie
embrace
Hold closely in arms
- closenessState of proximity
- tendernessGentle, caring quality
- caressGentle loving touch
touch · skin · pillow talk · afterglow · vulnerability · connection · sensuality · physicality · warmth · gentleness
desire
Intense wanting
eroticism · heat · fire · craving · hunger · ecstasy · climax · arousal · seduction · ravish
commitment
Firm pledge to act
- partnershipShared business arrangement
- marriageFormal union between partners
- spouseMarried partner
husband · wife · partner · fidelity · monogamy · couple · soulmate · devotion · wedding night · consummation
willingness
Openness to act
respect · communication · boundaries · permission · comfort · safety · choice · autonomy · enthusiastic · sober
courtship
Seeking another's romantic favor
- candlelightLuminescence from burning wick
- moonlightReflected solar radiance, nocturnal
- amourRomantic liaison, often illicit
tryst · rendezvous · honeymoon · sweetheart · valentine · serenade · flowers · champagne · lingerie · boudoir
make loveabstain
Deliberately not do
celibacy · abstinence · refrain · keep one's distance · go without
love, make, loving, loved, lover, maker, making, beloved, lovable