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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The end result was that my hair looked like the love child of the Bride of Frankenstein and the demonic doll Chucky. Sherry Kuehl, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2025 Parents Elyse and Steven Keaton where 1960s love children who were now the heads of a suburban family with kids who couldn't be more different from one another. Angela Andaloro, People.com, 2 July 2025 Before Bloodlines’ release, Final Destination fans also speculated that the love child of the original movie’s Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) and Clear Rivers (Ali Larter) could appear. Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 22 May 2025 Boden Boden—essentially the love child of J.Crew and Anthropologie—is offering a rare 25% discount at its Memorial Day sale. Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for love child

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

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Cite this Entry

“Love child.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/love%20child. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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