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
But the inspiration for her upcoming romance, Once in a Timeline, came directly from her own experiences online. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026 And Kerri Green, whose character Andy had an onscreen romance with Brolin’s Brand, would be sitting shotgun. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 21 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
  • Only guests in the larger rooms gain access to the rooftop, with its heated pool, and the Vault bar, arguably the highlight of the whole affair, cocooned among 3,000 gleaming safe deposit boxes.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Aug. 2026
  • No longer, however, does the 160-lap affair offer a winless driver by simply reaching victory lane.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of affair
Verb
  • Tennessee has been wooing Paramount, and Ellison’s father, Larry Ellison, had moved his software behemoth Oracle to Nashville two years ago.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
  • But the general election requires Hilton to woo more than just GOP voters to win it all.
    — Linh Tat, Daily News, 21 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
  • In the episode that sparked the backlash, Piker claimed that pro-Israel Jewish leaders conflate Jewish identity with support for Israel, and cause anger at Israel to fuel antisemitism and endanger American Jews.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The investigation was sparked after the West Side safety net hospital came under fire for improperly doling out COVID-19 vaccinations soon after the shots became available.
    — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of spark
Verb
  • None of these ideas were invented by Instagram or by women alone; the concept of the attention economy dates to the early 1970s, and the notion that no press is bad press has existed since the 19th century.
    — Laura Jung, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The story, which was published on Thursday, alleges that Watts’ late ex-girlfriend, Katherine McCollough, developed a ketamine addiction while dating him (Watts has been a longtime advocate for the drug).
    — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 24 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 29 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on romance

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about romance

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