like

Multiple Entries:
  like    -like  

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
like1

▶preposition

• 1 similar to.

  ■ in the manner of.

  ■ in a way appropriate to.

  ■ characteristic of.

  ■ used to ask about someone's or something's characteristics.

• 2 in this manner.

• 3 such as.

▶conjunction informal

• 1 in the same way that.

• 2 as though.

▶noun a similar person or thing.

■ (the like) things of the same kind.

▶adjective having similar characteristics to another. ▶adverb

• 1 informal used in speech as a meaningless filler.

• 2 informal, chiefly US used to convey a person's reported attitude or feelings in the form of direct speech: so she comes in and she's like ‘Where is everybody?’.

• 3 (like as/to) archaic in the manner of.

– phrases
and the like et cetera.
like anything informal, chiefly Brit. to a great degree.
(as) like as not probably.
like so informal in this manner.
the likes of informal a person such as.

– origin ME: from ON líkr; rel. to alike.

usage: It is considered unacceptable in formal English to use like as a conjunction meaning ‘as if’ (as in he's behaving like he owns the place). Use as if or as though instead.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
like2

▶verb

• 1 find agreeable, enjoyable, or satisfactory.

• 2 wish for; want.

  ■ prefer: how do you like your coffee?

  ■ (in questions) feel about or regard.

▶noun (likes) the things one likes.

– origin OE līcian ‘be pleasing’, of Gmc origin.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
-like

▶combining form (added to nouns) similar to; characteristic of: crust-like.