Phrase guide

for love or money

adv · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

adv

Meaning 1

Used with a negative to indicate that something is quite impossible

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • He wouldn't tell us what happened at school for love or money, even when threatened with grounding.
  • You can't get a cab after midnight for love nor money.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adverb

Meaning 2

under any circumstances

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she wouldn't give up her pets for love or money

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: for anything, for any price, for all the world

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • German: für Geld und gute Worte — for any price, under any conditions
  • Portuguese: de maneira alguma — for any price, under any conditions
  • Portuguese: de jeito algum — for any price, under any conditions