a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
"After years of friendship, they finally became each other's true lover."
a significant other to whom you are not related by marriage
"After years of dating, Mark and Sarah decided to get engaged as their romantic lover relationship deepened without any legal ties or family connections."
One who loves and cares for another person in a romantic way; a sweetheart, love, soulmate, boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse.
"The old architectural manual mistakenly listed a 'lover' as a type of window shutter, but it was actually an obsolete spelling of 'louver'."
Obsolete form of louver.
In plain English: A lover is someone you are deeply attracted to and have romantic feelings for.
"He is known in town as a lover of old jazz records and rainy afternoons."
Usage: Use "lover" to describe someone you are romantically involved with rather than using it as a synonym for the verb form of loving something abstractly. It specifically refers to a partner or sweethearts in an intimate relationship and should not be confused with terms like crush or admirer which imply less commitment.
The word lover comes from Middle English and was formed by adding a suffix meaning one who does something to the verb "love." It originally described someone who loves another person in a romantic sense.