dating 1 of 2

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

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dating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of date
1
as in accompanying
to go on a social engagement with I don't want to date him—I'd rather just be friends

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2
as in courting
to go on dates that may eventually lead to marriage we dated for two years before we got engaged

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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
Noun
To get to the bottom of the mystery of the article’s spurious dating, Cade and a team of researchers from around the globe sifted through historic reports and observations of geomagnetic activity to set the record straight. — Mike McRae 15, New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026 Their accounts demonstrate how AI is blurring the line between what's real and what's fake in the already fraught arena of online dating. — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 After a year of dating, they got engaged and bought a home together in Inverness, a city in Central Florida. — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026 Affordability is a key player in the shift from dinner dates to breakfast or coffee, as the cost of dating has risen in recent years. — Sadie Chafe, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2026 Thus far her novels have covered hockey romance, fake dating, cowboys, football and more. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026 Episode 2 will feature actor, writer and comedian Sophia Sherman and special guest Count Dracula discussing 400 years of dating and situationships. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026 Regularly talk to them about what constitutes a healthy friendship or dating relationship and what respect looks like. — Sherri Gordon, Parents, 23 Sep. 2026 The same goes for his perspectives on race, dating, gender, and generational divides shaped by his upbringing in Waukegan, Illinois. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
Verb
That production is the wrinkle that elevates Seventhirty’s lyrics from modern dating podcast material to pure melodrama. — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026 The two became friends and started dating about six months later, just weeks before she was indicted on federal fraud charges. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026 In 2014, The New Yorker described Holmes as living in a two-bedroom Palo Alto condo, with little time for friends or dating. — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026 This is round three of the dating rumors by my count, anyway. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Jun He, recruited from an aerospace shop to help direct the division, compared the manufacturing flow to running the world’s largest dating site. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026 Mini games at halftime or during long commercial stretches work for a reality dating show watch party just as well as for a title fight. — Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026 Their characters were fan favorites who began dating in Season 2 before getting engaged and married in the final season. — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 18 Oct. 2026 Jack is among many dating app users now outsourcing at least part of the online dating process to AI. — Sneha Dhandapani, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dating
Noun
  • The couple first sparked romance rumors in November 2025 after they were photographed together in New York City.
    — Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Genres run from crime thrillers and detective mysteries to folklore horror, social and courtroom drama, and romance.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • American nationals are among those who have come under attack while accompanying Palestinian farmers on their harvests.
    — Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
  • There's a kernel of truth to it; Ohtani was clearly limited by several injuries down the stretch, with a lengthy slump accompanying an increase in chase rate and swing and miss.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The bottom line is that Taverner did compromise herself by taking Cantor’s money, but that money was used for an operation against Russia, the country Cantor has been courting to expand his media empire.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
  • In the last few months, Raman and Bass have both been courting supporters of Spencer Pratt, the conservative reality television personality who got 26% of the vote in June’s primary by running an anti-establishment, tough on crime campaign.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Media coverage of Kreiz’s courtship of Rice is one of the spurs that pushed Netflix to make the move on a hire that will have ripple effects across its expansive film and TV operations.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026
  • During their courtship, Uncle Jack would often bring Aunt Jackie over for dinner and a movie.
    — Kerry Kennedy, Vanity Fair, 13 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • According to reporting by Semafor on Monday, the decision came after Wall Street executives privately raised safety concerns about attending the event with the event’s organizers, including Saudi sovereign fund PIF’s governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan.
    — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • In an exclusive interview with People published Wednesday, Schumer recalled attending an impromptu wedding celebration after discovering a ceremony taking place on the beach near her family's accommodations.
    — Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Dating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dating. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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