as in romance
the series of social engagements shared by a couple looking to get married
their dating had been going on for so long that she was starting to wonder if she'd ever take that trip down the aisle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in accompanying
to go on a social engagement with
I don't want to date him—I'd rather just be friends
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in courting
to go on dates that may eventually lead to marriage
we dated for two years before we got engaged
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dating
Alyson Rodriguez, Dallas Morning News, 1 Feb. 2026
First dates, blind dates, relationship coaching, speed dating, finding love, and breaking hearts — all of these common human experiences help to normalize an often misunderstood community.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Feb. 2026
Online dating has become increasingly popular, and many scammers are using that to their advantage by creating romantic schemes to steal financial and personal information from victims.
—Barbara White, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2026
Internet culture is ubiquitous in contemporary life and dating—but, by virtue of serving millions of people at once, even the most niche internet trends and references also often lack specificity.
—Vrinda Jagota, Pitchfork, 29 Jan. 2026
The partnership will examine some of the biggest disconnects in modern dating and provide practical guidance for Bumble’s community in a further push towards wellness for its users.
—Rachel Burchfield, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Sweethearts is updating its conversation hearts to reflect the realities of modern dating — and modern budgets.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
Synch’s bet is that by pairing a coach like Lily with deeper compatibility modeling, online dating can start to feel closer to a thoughtful, real‑world introduction than an endless catalog of faces.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 27 Jan. 2026
Hot take dating has also become more common as online dating becomes the primary form for meeting potential partners.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026
Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Carthen was among the buzziest characters to break out from Season 7 of the popular Peacock reality dating series, which aired in the summer of 2025.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026
The idea has been broached for years, dating to labor discussions three decades ago.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 4 Feb. 2026
But the show kept itself fresh, emotional, cringey, and funny — all the best parts of a dating show — thanks in small part to interesting cases and good editing, and in large part to hosts Nev Schulman and Kamie Crawford.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Feb. 2026
Match Group — The owner of several online dating apps saw shares jump 7%.
—Liz Napolitano,darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026
Izaya Igaki and William Tsukamoto were two of the ten men on the Netflix dating show who were placed in Hokkaido to run a coffee truck together, while also pursuing romantic endeavors.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 28 Jan. 2026
The fraudsters would contact American victims through social media, texts, or online dating platforms to get people’s trust.
—Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
My question is about dating among older adults.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
Noun
Guests are guaranteed to speak to at least 10 people and continue the conversations during a singles mixer after the speed dating concludes.
—Alyson Rodriguez, Dallas Morning News, 1 Feb. 2026
First dates, blind dates, relationship coaching, speed dating, finding love, and breaking hearts — all of these common human experiences help to normalize an often misunderstood community.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Feb. 2026
Online dating has become increasingly popular, and many scammers are using that to their advantage by creating romantic schemes to steal financial and personal information from victims.
—Barbara White, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2026
Internet culture is ubiquitous in contemporary life and dating—but, by virtue of serving millions of people at once, even the most niche internet trends and references also often lack specificity.
—Vrinda Jagota, Pitchfork, 29 Jan. 2026
The partnership will examine some of the biggest disconnects in modern dating and provide practical guidance for Bumble’s community in a further push towards wellness for its users.
—Rachel Burchfield, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Sweethearts is updating its conversation hearts to reflect the realities of modern dating — and modern budgets.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
Synch’s bet is that by pairing a coach like Lily with deeper compatibility modeling, online dating can start to feel closer to a thoughtful, real‑world introduction than an endless catalog of faces.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 27 Jan. 2026
Hot take dating has also become more common as online dating becomes the primary form for meeting potential partners.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026
Verb
Sure, Sweeney has long been rumored to be dating music manager Scooter Braun, but that did not stop the Los Angeles Rams wide receiver from shooting his shot last week.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Carthen was among the buzziest characters to break out from Season 7 of the popular Peacock reality dating series, which aired in the summer of 2025.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026
The idea has been broached for years, dating to labor discussions three decades ago.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 4 Feb. 2026
But the show kept itself fresh, emotional, cringey, and funny — all the best parts of a dating show — thanks in small part to interesting cases and good editing, and in large part to hosts Nev Schulman and Kamie Crawford.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Feb. 2026
Match Group — The owner of several online dating apps saw shares jump 7%.
—Liz Napolitano,darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026
Izaya Igaki and William Tsukamoto were two of the ten men on the Netflix dating show who were placed in Hokkaido to run a coffee truck together, while also pursuing romantic endeavors.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 28 Jan. 2026
The fraudsters would contact American victims through social media, texts, or online dating platforms to get people’s trust.
—Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
My question is about dating among older adults.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dating
Noun
-
Actually looking for the romance category as a category that’s been underrepresented, both in streaming and just kind of broadly in our eyes.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Yet in Season 3 of the show, Theo didn’t appear at all, suggesting that Eloise’s romance in the show may go back to following the books.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Endeavour gold is segregated from other sources, refined, and sent to the Bettses’ refinery and other casting houses—stamped with a serial number and accompanying QR code for verification.—
Jill Newman,
Robb Report,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The grounds are now open to visitors, who can explore the estate’s garden, stable yard, nearby nature paths and accompanying restaurant.—
Kayla Keegan,
PEOPLE,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
All's fair in love and war — an idiom that Cressida (second from left, played by Jessica Madsen) and her meddling mama would do well to remember while courting the Prince!—
Sophie Dodd,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
-
As with many other courting rituals of the Regency era, only a man could ask a woman to dance—not the other way around.—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Historically speaking, the era that inspired Julia Quinn to write eight Bridgerton books was governed by countless rules governing courtship.—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Their courtship was tender, quiet, subdued—and hardly full of the passion and yearning that Bridgerton has become known for.—
Meg Walters,
Glamour,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The American, who was expected to be one of the biggest stars of the Games, limped into a tent for medical attention before being airlifted away by helicopter, dangling from a hoist cable with two people attending her.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Vonn, who was expected to be one of the biggest stars of the games, limped into a tent for medical attention before being airlifted away by helicopter, dangling from a hoist cable with two people attending her.—
Graham Dunbar,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dating. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
