In this work, we constructed 3D flower-like MoS2 spheres with nanosheets (less than 10nm) by a simple alcohol-assisted solvothermal route. It was found that the presence of alcohol enhanced the dispersity of MoS2 samples, and the distilled water facilitated the formation of nanosheets through varying the volume ratio of alcohol and distilled water. The prepared MoS2 samples delivered high initial discharge capacity (1346mAhg−1 at a current density of 100mAg−1), good coulombic efficiency (77.49% retention for the first cycle and ∼100% for the subsequent cycles), excellent cycling performance (947mAhg−1 at 100mAg−1 after 50 cycles) and remarkable rate behavior as anode materials for lithium ion batteries. The superior behavior of MoS2 samples for lithium ion batteries can be ascribed to the thin nanosheets, high specific surface area and their unique layered structure.