paramour

noun par·amour \ ˈper-ə-ˌmu̇r , ˈpa-rə- \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of paramour

: lover; specifically : an illicit or secret lover

a married man and his paramour

Her account put him in the position of looking like the duped lover believing the cheating married paramour's protestation of love …
—Bettina Drew

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Examples of paramour in a Sentence

And faster than you can say "You've got mail!" he fell hard for his unseen paramour. —Kipp Cheng, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 1998
His Vietnamese paramour was a young woman of remarkable beauty. —Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 1988
As the vessel made sail immediately, and landed no part of their cargo, there seemed little doubt that they were accomplices of the notorious Robertson, and that the vessel had only come into the firth to carry off his paramour. —Walter Scott, The Heart of Midlothian, 1818

Recent Examples of paramour from the Web

Greer’s boyfriend Cory, whose career falls apart after a family tragedy, and Faith’s benefactor, the fabulously wealthy Emmet Shrader, who is reminiscent of former Steinem paramour Mort Zuckerman, don’t resonate like the women in the book.

— clare mchugh, Time, "Meg Wolizter Explores Feminism and Friendship in The Female Persuasion," 5 Apr. 2018
One example: the text messages between FBI paramours Peter Strzok and Lisa Page regarding Rudolph Contreras.

— the editorial board, WSJ, "G-Men Under Subpoena," 28 Mar. 2018
The monk, whose name has been linked with that of his paramour, Héloïse, was an early supporter of Jews in France.

— april austin, The Christian Science Monitor, "'The Cloister' probes deeply into matters of faith, dogma, complicity, and forgiveness," 16 Mar. 2018
Quietly wagging tongues also indicate that the purported paramour now spends eternity with his toes pointed toward the heavens — compliments of Travis.

— robert kolarik, San Antonio Express-News, "Time draws nigh for the attack," 4 Mar. 2018
Look for blackberry and chocolate flavor hints, with slightly more body than a typical Merlot, thanks to a 23% blending of Syrah. 7 Moons Red Blend Not sure which style your paramour appreciates most?

— chris morris, Fortune, "7 Wines That Will Make Valentine's Day Extra Special," 13 Feb. 2018
In an interview with The Tennessean on Wednesday afternoon, Barry identified her paramour as 58-year-old Sgt.

— stephanie petit, PEOPLE.com, "Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Apologizes for Affair with Former Head of Security: 'I'm Flawed'," 1 Feb. 2018
Today’s pop stars routinely leak which rivals or paramours are the targets of their latest numbers.

— carl wilson, Slate Magazine, "Stephin Merritt Comes Out—as Human," 8 Mar. 2017
Compounding the problem: The boy was her ex-paramour’s nephew.

— howard cohen, miamiherald, "She wanted dirt on her ex, so police say she offered sex to his 12-year-old nephew," 22 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'paramour.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Paramour came to English from French (a language based on Latin), though the modern French don't use the word. Since par amour meant "through love", it implies a relationship based solely on love, often physical love, rather than on social custom or ceremony. So today it tends to refer to the lover of a married man or woman, but may be used for any lover who isn't obeying the social rules.

Origin and Etymology of paramour

Middle English, from par amour for the sake of love, willingly, from Anglo-French par amur

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First Known Use: 14th century

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PARAMOUR Defined for English Language Learners

paramour

noun

Definition of paramour for English Language Learners

: a person with whom someone is having a romantic or sexual relationship and especially a secret or improper relationship

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