romance 1 of 2

noun

rō-ˈman(t)s How to pronounce romance (audio)
Definition of romancenext
as in affair
a brief romantic relationship an office romance that ended with hurt feelings on both sides

Synonyms & Similar Words

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romance

2 of 2

verb

as in to woo

Related 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 romance
Noun
Here’s everything that goes down in the Overboard-esque Netflix K-drama that combines smalltown romance and crime drama for a satisfying tale of love against all odds. — Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026 The Troy/Harris romance will occupy similar space in season 2 of Heated Rivalry that the smoothie smoochies story took in s1. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
Verb
In 1973, Boyd had an affair with Ronnie Wood, while Harrison did the same with Wood’s wife, and Harrison also later romanced Ringo Starr’s wife, Maureen Cox. — Radhika Seth, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2025 Anthony Geary, the thoughtful General Hospital actor who as the complex Luke Spencer raped and romanced Genie Francis’ Laura Webber Baldwin on the way to an unprecedented eight Daytime Emmy Awards and soap opera superstardom, has died. — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 15 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for romance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for romance
  1. affair
  2. woo
  3. fling
  4. spark
  5. date
Noun
  • Initially a rudimentary, box-like affair, things have improved since, thanks mainly to the addition of a second tier behind the goal.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Any chance for a post-trade-deadline revenge night was thwarted when the Mercury ruled Kelsey Plum out ahead of Tuesday’s affair with a lower left leg injury.
    — Kai Dizon, Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of affair
Verb
  • OpenAI is making a deeper push to woo corporate customers, in part to catch up with rival Anthropic, which put an early focus on businesses and coding tools in addition to the consumer market.
    — J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Is there more that Samsung can do to woo customers on competing devices?
    — Marc Saltzman, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of woo
Noun
  • The 30-year-old actress is best known for her role as Kendall, the former fling of Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli) in the Prime Video romantic drama series Off Campus.
    — Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Puppy love and summer flings abound when Tom Holland's Peter Parker goes on a European vacation to spend quality time with his crush MJ (Zendaya) and instead gets thrown into a few international incidents.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of fling
Verb
  • Aside from third baseman Bo Bichette’s decision about whether to opt out after this season, the Mets’ position-player group doesn’t spark many questions.
    — Will Sammon, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The aircraft are part of Colorado's aerial fire-detection program, which sends planes over the state looking for the heat signatures of new fires, particularly those sparked by lightning.
    — Brian Maass, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of spark
Verb
  • The announcement, dated August 5, named Anirudh Kamath, Smithery's co-founder, as joining the Arcade team.
    — Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The Parks and Recreation actress and Girls actor reportedly began dating in 2025.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of date

Browse Nearby Words

roly-poly
romance
romanced
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Romance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/romance. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on romance

Nglish: Translation of romance for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about romance

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