50 Idioms for Liking Something and Being Fond (Meanings)

Idioms are fun expressions where words together carry a hidden meaning different from their literal sense. People use them in everyday speech to add color, warmth, and enthusiastic emotion to conversations. In this article, you will learn fifty interesting idioms about loving an activity, being fond of things, and showing deep enjoyment.

In this lesson, we will look at idioms that mean liking something a lot or taking great pleasure in an activity. Let us get started and explore some of these helpful expressions.

Idioms for Liking Something

1. Fall head over heels

Definition: To like or love something or someone so intensely that you are completely captivated.

Used in a Sentence: She fell head over heels for watercolor painting the very first time she tried it. / When he got his first skateboard, he fell head over heels for the sport.

Similar Expressions: Adore completely / Fall deeply in love

2. Have a soft spot

Definition: To feel a tender, affectionate liking for a specific person, animal, or hobby.

Used in a Sentence: Grandma has a soft spot for stray rescue kittens that wander into the yard. / I have always had a soft spot for classic mystery novels.

Similar Expressions: Feel fondness / Care deeply for

3. Right up your alley

Definition: Perfectly suited to your personal tastes, hobbies, or favorite things.

Used in a Sentence: Visiting the science museum with dinosaur exhibits is right up his alley. / Baking cookies on a rainy afternoon is right up my alley.

Similar Expressions: Perfect for you / Suited to your taste

4. Music to my ears

Definition: Wonderful news or information that you are extremely happy and glad to hear.

Used in a Sentence: Hearing that our art project won first place was absolute music to my ears. / The teacher announcing that recess was extended was music to our ears.

Similar Expressions: Great to hear / Wonderful news

5. Be fond of

Definition: To feel a warm, affectionate attachment or liking for someone or something.

Used in a Sentence: My little brother is very fond of building tall towers with wooden blocks. / She has always been fond of reading adventure stories before bedtime.

Similar Expressions: Care for / Like very much

6. Floating your boat

Definition: Something that brings you personal joy, interest, or happiness.

Used in a Sentence: Playing video games after finishing homework is what floats your boat. / If collecting comic books is what floats your boat, then go right ahead.

Similar Expressions: Makes you happy / Suits your fancy

7. Tickle your fancy

Definition: To appeal to your personal interests or catch your curious liking.

Used in a Sentence: Pick whichever ice cream flavor happens to tickle your fancy today. / The bright blue bicycle in the window was enough to tickle her fancy.

Similar Expressions: Appeal to you / Interest you

8. Warm your heart

Definition: To cause you to feel happy, touched, and deeply fond of a kind action.

Used in a Sentence: Seeing the little kids share their crayons warmed my heart. / The handwritten thank you note from the student warmed the teacher’s heart.

Similar Expressions: Touch emotionally / Make you glad

9. A labor of love

Definition: An activity you enjoy so much that you do it happily without needing payment.

Used in a Sentence: Gardening every weekend is a true labor of love for my grandfather. / Building the wooden birdhouse was a labor of love for the project club.

Similar Expressions: Enjoyable work / Passion project

10. Eat up with a spoon

Definition: To enjoy something so much that you eagerly accept every bit of it.

Used in a Sentence: He loves adventure stories and will eat them up with a spoon. / The fans ate up the band’s performance with a spoon.

Similar Expressions: Enjoy eagerly / Relish completely

11. Be crazy about

Definition: To show immense enthusiasm and fondness for a particular activity or item.

Used in a Sentence: My sister is crazy about baking chocolate chip cookies on weekends. / He is completely crazy about playing soccer with his neighborhood friends.

Similar Expressions: Love immensely / Be wild about

12. Have a sweet tooth

Definition: A strong fondness and craving for sugary foods and sweet treats.

Used in a Sentence: Whenever we visit the bakery, my sweet tooth takes over completely. / Having a sweet tooth means you always enjoy birthday cake slices.

Similar Expressions: Love sweets / Crave sugar

13. Eat, sleep, and breathe

Definition: To be so passionate about a hobby that it consumes your daily thoughts.

Used in a Sentence: He loves basketball so much that he seems to eat, sleep, and breathe the sport. / She has learned to eat, sleep, and breathe playing the violin.

Similar Expressions: Live and breathe / Be totally devoted

14. Take a shine to

Definition: To develop a sudden and strong liking for someone or something new.

Used in a Sentence: The puppy took a shine to our new blue living room rug right away. / She took a shine to painting after taking her first art elective class.

Similar Expressions: Grow fond of / Take a liking to

15. Real fan of

Definition: Someone who supports, admires, and enjoys a particular thing very much.

Used in a Sentence: I am a real fan of science fiction movies with space travel themes. / He is a real fan of collecting vintage baseball cards.

Similar Expressions: Enthusiast / Great admirer

16. Fall in love with

Definition: To develop deep admiration, affection, and fondness for a place or thing.

Used in a Sentence: We visited the national park once and immediately fell in love with the scenery. / She fell in love with ballet dancing after her first recital.

Similar Expressions: Grow fond of / Become attached to

17. Be keen on

Definition: To have a strong interest in or enthusiasm for doing something.

Used in a Sentence: Are you keen on joining the school chess club this semester? / My brother is not very keen on eating green vegetables for dinner.

Similar Expressions: Interested in / Fond of

18. Have a passion for

Definition: To possess a deep, driving love and enthusiasm for an activity.

Used in a Sentence: She has a true passion for writing creative stories about magical worlds. / Developing a passion for music takes daily practice and listening.

Similar Expressions: Deep love / Strong devotion

19. Be partial to

Definition: To have a specific preference or soft spot for something enjoyable.

Used in a Sentence: I am partial to strawberry ice cream on warm summer afternoons. / The art teacher is partial to using bright watercolor paints.

Similar Expressions: Prefer / Have a preference for

20. Drink in

Definition: To absorb and enjoy a pleasant sight, sound, or experience with enthusiasm.

Used in a Sentence: We sat on the porch to drink in the beautiful sunset colors. / She loved to sit quietly and drink in the peaceful library atmosphere.

Similar Expressions: Absorb with joy / Relish fully

21. Look forward to

Definition: To feel excited and happy about an upcoming event or activity.

Used in a Sentence: The kids look forward to summer vacation all year long. / I always look forward to art class on Tuesday mornings.

Similar Expressions: Anticipate happily / Eagerly await

22. In your element

Definition: Doing an activity that you naturally love, enjoy, and excel at.

Used in a Sentence: Put him on a soccer field and you can tell he is truly in his element. / She loves organizing books, so working in the library makes her feel in her element.

Similar Expressions: Right where you belong / Thriving happily

23. Revel in

Definition: To take great pleasure, joy, and satisfaction in an experience.

Used in a Sentence: The puppy loved to revel in the warm afternoon sunshine on the lawn. / Winners of the game got to revel in their victory all evening.

Similar Expressions: Enjoy greatly / Delight in

24. Be enamored of

Definition: To be filled with a charming fondness and admiration for something.

Used in a Sentence: He was completely enamored of the antique clocks ticking in the shop. / She became enamored of ballet after watching her first stage show.

Similar Expressions: Captivated by / Charmed by

25. Warm up to

Definition: To gradually start liking someone or something after an initial hesitation.

Used in a Sentence: It took the shy kitten a few days to warm up to its new home. / At first he disliked vegetables, but he started to warm up to carrots.

Similar Expressions: Grow to like / Begin to enjoy

26. Get a kick out of

Definition: To find great amusement, fun, and enjoyment in an activity.

Used in a Sentence: The kids always get a kick out of watching the funny monkey exhibit. / I get a real kick out of solving tricky crossword puzzles.

Similar Expressions: Enjoy thoroughly / Find amusing

27. Be hooked on

Definition: To like something so much that you want to do it all the time.

Used in a Sentence: After reading the first chapter, she was completely hooked on the mystery series. / He got a new video game and is now hooked on playing it.

Similar Expressions: Addicted to / Fascinated by

28. Take pleasure in

Definition: To find happiness and satisfaction in doing a particular task.

Used in a Sentence: Grandma likes to take pleasure in baking pies for her neighbors. / Take pleasure in reading your favorite books in a quiet corner.

Similar Expressions: Enjoy / Find joy in

29. Have a fondness for

Definition: To hold a warm, positive preference for certain items or activities.

Used in a Sentence: My grandfather has a lifelong fondness for collecting vintage stamps. / She has a special fondness for sketching animals in her notebook.

Similar Expressions: Like well / Have a soft spot for

30. Get carried away with enthusiasm

Definition: To like an activity so much that you get overly excited about it.

Used in a Sentence: Do not get carried away with enthusiasm when decorating your cake. / He got carried away with enthusiasm while planning the club party.

Similar Expressions: Overly excited / Deeply absorbed

31. Savor the moment

Definition: To enjoy and appreciate a wonderful experience slowly and fully.

Used in a Sentence: Take time to savor the moment when you taste your birthday cupcake. / We sat on the hill to savor the moment of the winning goal.

Similar Expressions: Enjoy fully / Relish

32. Have a weakness for

Definition: To find it hard to resist something that you deeply like.

Used in a Sentence: I have a terrible weakness for warm chocolate chip cookies. / She has a weakness for buying shiny new gel pens at the store.

Similar Expressions: Unable to resist / Fond craving

33. Bask in the joy

Definition: To relax and soak up the wonderful happiness of a favorite activity.

Used in a Sentence: After winning the art contest, she loved to bask in the joy of success. / Sit back on the porch and bask in the joy of a sunny afternoon.

Similar Expressions: Enjoy happiness / Soak in delight

34. Be sweet on

Definition: An old-fashioned way of saying you have a fond liking for something or someone.

Used in a Sentence: He has always been sweet on collecting shiny polished river rocks. / She is pretty sweet on her grandmother’s famous apple pastry recipe.

Similar Expressions: Fond of / Attached to

35. Fancy meeting here

Definition: A joyful greeting expressing happy surprise at seeing something you like.

Used in a Sentence: Running into my best friend at the bookstore made me say fancy meeting here. / Finding my favorite author at the library felt like fancy meeting here.

Similar Expressions: Pleasant surprise / Happy encounter

36. Lick your chops

Definition: To show eager anticipation and liking for something delicious coming your way.

Used in a Sentence: The cat began to lick its chops when the grilled fish was served. / We licked our chops as mom pulled the hot pizza from the oven.

Similar Expressions: Eagerly anticipate / Show tasty desire

37. Thrilled to pieces

Definition: Extremely happy, excited, and delighted about a favorite event.

Used in a Sentence: She was thrilled to pieces when she received tickets to the concert. / The kids were thrilled to pieces to visit the amusement park.

Similar Expressions: Overjoyed / Delighted

38. Have your heart set on

Definition: To like something so much that you strongly desire to achieve or have it.

Used in a Sentence: He has his heart set on joining the advanced robotics club. / She had her heart set on getting the red bicycle for her birthday.

Similar Expressions: Strongly desire / Deeply wish for

39. Jump at the chance

Definition: To eagerly accept a fun opportunity because you like it so much.

Used in a Sentence: When offered a spot in the art showcase, she jumped at the chance. / He will always jump at the chance to play soccer outdoors.

Similar Expressions: Eagerly accept / Seize happily

40. Think the world of

Definition: To like, admire, and cherish a person, hobby, or pet very deeply.

Used in a Sentence: She thinks the world of her fluffy golden retriever puppy. / He thinks the world of his grandfather’s old woodworking tools.

Similar Expressions: Value greatly / Cherish deeply

41. Warm to the idea

Definition: To start liking a concept or activity after thinking about it.

Used in a Sentence: At first she hesitated, but soon she began to warm to the idea of camping. / The class warmed to the idea of an outdoor science experiment.

Similar Expressions: Grow accepting / Begin to favor

42. Be head over heels for

Definition: To be utterly and delightfully fond of a favorite pastime or item.

Used in a Sentence: He is head over heels for playing the acoustic guitar. / She was head over heels for the miniature dollhouse collection.

Similar Expressions: Adore / Love greatly

43. Find joy in

Definition: To discover happiness and pleasant satisfaction through a hobby.

Used in a Sentence: I find joy in reading quiet mystery stories on rainy afternoons. / She likes to find joy in painting small wooden birdhouses.

Similar Expressions: Enjoy / Take happiness in

44. A labor of joy

Definition: A task you love doing so much that it brings constant happiness.

Used in a Sentence: Organizing the classroom library books was a true labor of joy for her. / Crafting handmade greeting cards felt like a labor of joy.

Similar Expressions: Happy task / Joyful work

45. Carry a torch for

Definition: To maintain a long-lasting liking, admiration, or fondness for something.

Used in a Sentence: He has carried a torch for vintage comic books since childhood. / She still carries a torch for her first favorite childhood storybook.

Similar Expressions: Maintain fondness / Keep admiration

46. Look upon with favor

Definition: To regard an activity or choice with liking and approval.

Used in a Sentence: The teacher looked upon with favor our plan for the class garden. / Parents usually look upon with favor creative hobbies like drawing.

Similar Expressions: Approve of / View kindly

47. Be partial to sweets

Definition: To have a special preference and liking for sugary foods.

Used in a Sentence: Being partial to sweets means he always tries grandma’s dessert first. / She is quite partial to sweets like honey candy and fruit tarts.

Similar Expressions: Prefer desserts / Like sugary treats

48. Glow with pleasure

Definition: To show visible happiness and delight because you are enjoying something.

Used in a Sentence: Her face began to glow with pleasure when her painting won a ribbon. / He listened to the praise and started to glow with pleasure.

Similar Expressions: Beam with joy / Look delighted

49. Delight in

Definition: To find great pleasure and happiness in doing a favorite activity.

Used in a Sentence: Young children delight in splashing through puddles after a rainstorm. / She loves to delight in reading poetry by the window.

Similar Expressions: Take joy in / Enjoy greatly

50. Sing the praises of

Definition: To express enthusiastic liking and admiration for something wonderful.

Used in a Sentence: My friends always sing the praises of the local ice cream shop. / She loves to sing the praises of her favorite fantasy book series.

Similar Expressions: Praise highly / Speak warmly of

Exercise to Practice

1. She fell head over heels for watercolor painting the very first time she tried it.
2. Grandma has a soft spot for stray rescue kittens that wander into the yard while shouting loudly.
3. Visiting the science museum with dinosaur exhibits is right up his alley.
4. Hearing that our art project won first place was absolute music to my ears by making everyone feel sad.
5. My little brother is very fond of building tall towers with wooden blocks.
6. Pick whichever ice cream flavor happens to tickle your fancy today while hiding under a table.
7. He loves basketball so much that he seems to eat, sleep, and breathe the sport.
8. Are you keen on joining the school chess club this semester by running a fast marathon?
9. We sat on the porch to drink in the beautiful sunset colors.
10. The kids look forward to summer vacation all year long while sleeping all day.
11. After reading the first chapter, she was completely hooked on the mystery series.
12. I have a terrible weakness for warm chocolate chip cookies by throwing them in the trash.
13. She was thrilled to pieces when she received tickets to the concert.
14. At first she hesitated, but soon she began to warm to the idea of camping while crying tears of grief.
15. I find joy in reading quiet mystery stories on rainy afternoons.

Answer Key

1. True
2. False
3. True
4. False
5. True
6. False
7. True
8. False
9. True
10. False
11. True
12. False
13. True
14. False
15. True

Conclusion

Learning these idioms helps you describe liking something, being fond of activities, and expressing joy using colorful language. By practicing them regularly, you can make your everyday writing and conversations much more expressive and engaging.

Try using one or two of these expressions the next time you talk about your favorite hobbies or food. You will find that using playful phrases makes sharing what you love a lot more fun.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some common idioms for liking something?

Some popular choices include falling head over heels, having a soft spot, and being hooked on an activity. These expressions help people describe enthusiasm in a creative way.

Why do we use idioms in English?

Idioms add charm, emotion, and color to our speech instead of using plain literal words. They help us share everyday positive feelings like fondness in memorable ways.

How can students learn these expressions easily?

Students can learn idioms best by connecting them to favorite hobbies, delicious foods, or fun weekend activities. Using them in simple sentences helps them stick in your memory.

Are these idioms okay to use in formal writing?

Most of these idioms work wonderfully in personal stories, creative essays, or casual conversations. However, strict academic research papers usually require more direct vocabulary.

Do all English speakers understand these fondness idioms?

Yes, most of these expressions are widely recognized across English-speaking regions, though slight regional variations in phrasing can sometimes occur.