dispense love

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "dispense love" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used in contexts where one is expressing the act of giving or sharing love, affection, or kindness to others. Example: "In times of hardship, we must remember to dispense love to those who need it most."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Loftiness served her well as an artist: she was able to dispense love and justice, heat and cold in equal parts.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

These men and some women walked /marched practicing ahimsa, dispensing love in the community.

Huffington Post

Revered as "America's Dad" from his sitcom "The Cosby Show" where as Dr. Cliff Huxtable he and his beautiful and equally accomplished wife Claire, as played by Phylicia Rhyshad, dispensed love, wisdom, and humor to their near perfect family.

Huffington Post

While many of her poems are burdened by a need to dispense wisdom ("love dooms us to earn / love once we can speak of it"), her best are driven by a compulsion to confront the inexplicable.

The New York Times - Books

From the family center, the Ettes and their aunts and cousins took the ferry with other families, several mental health workers and a volunteer carrying a small dog whose purpose was to dispense unconditional love.

The New York Times

The play meanders into various side roads, showing Danny in a rehab center with a drug-addled girlfriend (Gillian Jacobs) and allowing two feisty hospital attendants (warmly played by Liza Colón-Zayas and David Zayas) to dispense tough love and inspirational uplift.

The New York Times

Three years later the fund is dispensing tough love not just to bailed-out countries but to the euro zone itself.

The Economist

With Lloyd Bridges dispensing advice, love, in the form of adultery, eventually conquers all -- Sunday at 10 15 a.m. on Showtime.

The New York Times

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Ellis Lankster has a large extended family, and growing up in Prichard, Ala., he spent a lot of time with his cousins — older, bigger, stronger cousins who dispensed tough love in maximum doses.

The New York Times - Sports

"Holding a cigarette between her fingers as if it were a dart she was planning to throw at us," Merle dispenses tough love and grim warnings: "Any man from the age of 2 on up wasn't to be trusted...

The New York Times - Books

And while the United States is dispensing tough love to an ally, perhaps it should consider whether Israeli intransigence in settling the Israeli-Palestinian territorial dispute is being encouraged by providing more than $3 billion in annual aid to an already wealthy country.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "dispense love", consider the context. It implies a deliberate and sometimes measured act of giving love, which might be suitable in discussions of social roles or artistic expression.

Common error

Avoid using "dispense love" in casual conversation. Simpler phrases like "give love" or "show love" are generally more appropriate for everyday situations.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "dispense love" primarily functions as a verb phrase where "dispense" acts as the main verb with "love" as its direct object. It describes the act of giving or distributing love. As shown in Ludwig, this can refer to a measured or deliberate giving of affection, kindness, or care.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "dispense love" is a grammatically correct but relatively uncommon way to describe the act of giving love. Ludwig AI shows that while it's usable, it carries a more deliberate connotation than simply "give love". Its use is primarily found in news and media contexts. Related phrases include "offer love", "share love", and "give love", which may be more appropriate in informal settings. Consider the nuance you wish to convey: if you mean a calculated or measured giving, "dispense love" is appropriate; otherwise, a simpler alternative might be better.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

give love

The simplest and most direct way to express providing love.

share love

Highlights the act of distributing love among multiple recipients.

offer love

Replaces "dispense" with a simpler verb suggesting a direct act of providing love.

extend love

Implies a broadening or expansion of love to others.

show love

Focuses on demonstrating love through actions rather than just giving it.

bestow love

Suggests a more formal or generous giving of love.

express love

Highlights the communication aspect of love through words or actions.

administer love

Suggests a careful and intentional approach to providing love, like a remedy.

radiate love

Implies an outpouring or shining forth of love from within.

emanate love

Similar to radiate, suggesting that love flows outward like energy.

FAQs

How can I use "dispense love" in a sentence?

You can use "dispense love" to describe a deliberate act of giving affection or kindness, for example: "Loftiness served her well as an artist: she was able to dispense love and justice, heat and cold in equal parts."

What's a good alternative to "dispense love"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "give love", "show love", or "share love".

Is it more common to say "dispense love" or "give love"?

"Give love" is much more common in everyday language. "Dispense love" suggests a more calculated or formal distribution of affection.

What does it mean to "dispense tough love"?

To "dispense tough love" means to offer guidance or correction that may be harsh or unpleasant but is intended to benefit the recipient in the long run. It is a specific idiom which is different from "dispense love".