love child

noun

plural love children
1
: a child whose parents were not married when the child was conceived
especially : the child of an affair
My older sister, Jean Marie, was the love child of an affair my mother had with a married man who, instead of leaving his wife for my mother, died of a heart attack. William Skeans, Jr.
often used figuratively
A pair of furry Ugg slides that are basically a love child of your comfiest slippers and practical summer sandals. Kaysey Davis
2
: something (such as a project or collaboration) that is a product of hard work and devotion
The museum is the love child of the company's owner, Jacques Lorch, who for twenty-five years has been ferreting out artifacts pertaining to the subject that is his passion.Naomi Barry

Examples of love child in a Sentence

the love child of a famous actor and one of his fans a woman who claimed to be the love child of two of Hollywood's most beloved stars during its golden age
Recent Examples on the Web Their little love child’s name is Amin and he was born on Jan. 14, the couple told PEOPLE. Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 8 Feb. 2024 Adding insult to injury, Laura learns of the affair, and the love child, just one year after the tragic passing of her and Enzo’s beloved son, Dino. Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2023 Decorated on the inside with vintage furniture and a pump organ, the chapel held its grand opening on the second Saturday in June — the brain- and love child of owners Tess Sweet and Dan Gambelin. Marisa Gerber, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2023 Readers who enjoy literary complexity will relish a book that reads like the love child of Cynthia Ozick and Tom Stoppard. Allegra Goodman, Washington Post, 20 July 2023 Harris, who previously worked on Black Mirror, described Davis — which was created by Tara Hernandez and Damon Lindelof — as a love child of the pandemic. Seija Rankin, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 June 2023 The news of Schwarzenegger’s love child in 2011, who bears a striking resemblance to him, caused his wife Maria Shriver to leave him. Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 5 June 2023 At the risk of sounding like some conservative old studio head, Jake’s dilemma probably would have worked better if Silva were a woman … in which case, Joe might’ve been their love child from all those years ago. Peter Debruge, Variety, 17 May 2023 Resembling the love child of Tomb Raider, Raiders of the Lost Ark and National Treasure, Uncharted definitely feels like a video game adaptation, so rapidly segueing from one elaborate action set piece to another that your fingers may start twitching while watching it. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'love child.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of love child was in 1805

Dictionary Entries Near love child

Cite this Entry

“Love child.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/love%20child. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!