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dove

DUV/dʌv/
As a verbDOHV

Pluraldoves

7 meanings of dove

Practice

  1. 1
    nouncountable
    A bird in the pigeon family, often smaller and white, with a soft, gentle call.

    A white dove flew out of the magician's hat.

    Doves cooed on the roof all morning.

    UsageUsed as a symbol of peace; city birds are mostly called pigeons.

    Similarpigeon, culver

    Note
  2. 2
    plungedverbCanadaUS
    Past tense of dive. People use it mostly in American English.

    He dove into the pool to cool off.

    The duck dove under the water when the boat came near.

    UsageIn Britain, people mostly say dived.

    Note
  3. 3
    peace supporternouncountable
    A person who wants peace and prefers talking over fighting.

    Like someone who steps between two friends to stop a fight.

    The senator is a dove who voted against the war.

    Doves in the government wanted a peace deal, not more fighting.

    UsageThe opposite is hawk: hawks and doves.

    Similarpacifist, peacemaker, conciliator

    Oppositehawk

    Note
  4. 4
    soft graynouncountable or uncountable
    A soft gray color with hints of blue and pink, like a dove's feathers.

    The new sweater comes in dove or navy.

    The sweater comes in three colors: black, cream, and dove.

  5. 5
    darlingnouncountable
    A loving name for someone you see as gentle and sweet.

    "Don't cry, my dove," Grandma said softly.

    "Good night, little dove," he whispered to the baby.

    Similardarling, dear, love, sweetheart, pet

    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 6
    nouncountable
    A person, often at a central bank, who wants low interest rates and easy lending to help growth and jobs.

    As a dove, she worries more about lost jobs than about rising prices.

    The doves on the bank's board voted to keep interest rates low for another year.

    UsageUse dovish to describe a speech or policy. A hawk is the opposite of a dove.

    Oppositehawk

    Note
  2. 7
    drug (slang)nounslangcountableabbreviationellipsis
    Short for love dove: one pill of the drug ecstasy.

    He took a dove at the rave and danced until morning.

    She hid the dove inside her cigarette pack.

    Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1, 3–7

This word comes from Old English and older Germanic words meaning "dove" or "pigeon." Related words are found in German (Taube), Dutch (duif), and Swedish (duva).

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

  • The bird name descends from Old English and earlier Germanic words meaning dove or pigeon. en.wiktionary.org
  • German Taube, Dutch duif, and Swedish duva are cognates of English dove. en.wiktionary.org
Meaning 2

This is a newer past-tense form made to match verbs like drive → drove and weave → wove.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

  • Dove is a newer past-tense form of dive, formed by analogy with drive → drove and weave → wove. en.wiktionary.org