dove

noun

ˈdəv How to pronounce dove (audio)
Definition of dovenext
1
as in pacifist
a person who opposes war or warlike policies the doves were in favor of using the surplus to improve the nation's schools and not its weapons systems

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in angel
an innocent or gentle person he's a dove who wouldn't hurt a fly

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of dove The 84-year-old was sitting courtside — and wearing open-toed sandals — when the 190-pound athlete dove out of bounds for a ball and crashed into her. — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026 Designed by Marc Lalique in 1951, the bottle is fashioned from twisted glass, with a stopper in the shape of two soaring doves. — April Long, Allure, 24 June 2026 Bartlett’s character is like a rock slab, a vestige of an ancient religion, brought to life in overlapping strips of muslin, linen, and leather in shades of dove, cream, gray, and pale blue, with his hood pulled tight around his face and his hands wrapped in mittens. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2026 McGill’s superbly nuanced calls, runs, and trills elicited commentary from a second audience, perched in the trees above—a colloquium of finches, towhees, titmice, kingbirds, juncos, and Eurasian collared doves. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for dove
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dove
  1. pacifist
  2. angel
  3. sheep
  4. innocent
  5. lamb
Noun
  • His father, Kenneth, was a pacifist and a conscientious objector in World War II, which made the family somewhat outcast in its small hometown.
    — Barbara Isenberg, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026
  • However, it was criticized by pacifists at home and China for deviating from Japan’s postwar self-defense only principle.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Definition of pacifist
Noun
  • The first one features a six-foot tall bronze cast angel whose wings enfold around a granite bench; the sculpture was intended to offer the comfort of an angel’s embrace for visitors who take a seat there.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • The respected 13th-century Spanish rabbi Nachmanides (Ramban) chastises Lot for the atrocity of offering his daughters in place of the angels.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
Definition of angel
Noun
  • First, the animals whose skins would become parchment—typically sheep or calves—had to be slaughtered; a complete bible required the skins of around five hundred sheep.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
  • The current owner’s father, Olcott Smith, a prominent Connecticut business leader, bought the land from one Everett Whiting, a sheep farmer whose own family roots here trace back to the 1600s.
    — Nielsen Dinwoodie, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of sheep
Noun
  • Over 5,000 deaths, most of them for innocents not driving trucks, in 2023 alone.
    — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
  • Whatever conclusions investigators might reach, the loss of at least 50 souls, and the wounding of dozens more innocents, is an unbearable blow for any community.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2026
Definition of innocent
Noun
  • Natural casings are made of lamb skins and give hot dogs a bit of a curve, while the hot dogs without casing pack flat into the package.
    — Dianna Douglas, NPR, 28 June 2026
  • Start your meal with one of the mango lassis (the perfect way to cool down in the summer) before feasting on dishes like the tandoori lamb or momo, traditional Tibetan dumplings.
    — Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 28 June 2026
Definition of lamb

Browse Nearby Words

dousing
dove
dovecote
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Cite this Entry

“Dove.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dove. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on dove

Nglish: Translation of dove for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dove

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