paramour

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

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Examples: paramour in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

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

Her paramour is hard as nails (his definition of mercy is handing a man a gun with a single bullet before locking him in a train compartment and setting it loose from the main locomotive).

— refinery29.com, "Westworld Season 2, Episode 6 Recap: "Hello, Old Friend"," 28 May 2018
She and her paramour and boating partner (Sam Claflin) get caught in a hurricane and face long odds navigating to safety after the ensuing injuries and damage.

— ben kenigsberg, New York Times, "Summer 2018 Movie Release Schedule," 4 May 2018
In one of the loveliest scenes of Book Club, the newest addition to the Diane Keaton oeuvre, our beloved matriarch sits across from her dashing pilot paramour (Andy Garcia) as the two dine with the hilariously CGI-ed Santa Monica sunset behind them.

— hannah giorgis, The Atlantic, "Actually, Kissing Is Good," 25 May 2018
That year, Shelley ran away with her poet paramour and took her step-sister, Claire Clairmont, along for the ride.

— refinery29.com, "The True Story Behind Mary Shelley Is Actual 19th Century Rock & Roll," 24 May 2018
Meticulously crafted and ever-evolving in collaboration with French master creator and ex-paramour Jean-Paul Goude, the singer’s Afrofuturist image is as integral to her character as her sultry contralto and subversive stage presence.

— lauren valenti, Vogue, "Happy Birthday, Grace Jones! 18 Times the Fearless Pop Icon Broke the Beauty Mold," 19 May 2018
Aquarians will be surprised if a fed-up paramour walks out the door, but that's what will happen if these water bearers fail to show their appreciation.

— aliza kelly faragher, Allure, "What Your Zodiac Sign Says About Your Worst Relationship Habit," 14 May 2018
Margaret Colin offers a razor-sharp take on toxic possessiveness as Billy’s boss and older paramour.

— ben brantley, New York Times, "Review: A ‘Carousel’ That Spins on a Romantically Charged Axis," 12 Apr. 2018
Several months earlier, Weiner had also felt compelled to combine child minding with sexting with a forty-something paramour.

— lucinda rosenfeld, Town & Country, "What Happens to the Children of Infamous Fathers?," 21 Nov. 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.