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
Kawajiri crashes the two together both with a rather sweet, tentative courtship and plenty of comedy around the anxiety which would accompany any new romance, let alone one between two shut-ins with no game. — Kambole Campbell, IndieWire, 4 Nov. 2026 Fans have flocked to 4DX showings of the Olivia Colman-Alexander Skarsgård fantasy romance Wicker. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2026
Verb
But in that stillness, Black and Brown people continued to romance a world beyond our reach. — Ron Stodghill, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for romance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for romance
  1. affair
  2. woo
  3. fling
  4. spark
  5. date
Noun
  • But the first half was a choppy affair because of all the fouls being called.
    — Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
  • In the long term, the results lend weight to a prediction from OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer, Chris Lehane, that AI will be the defining issue of the 2028 presidential election.
    — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of affair
Verb
  • Many of the industry’s biggest players, including hyperscalers, AI labs, and data-center developers, are advertising six-figure roles for policy wonks able to woo local communities where data centers are planned, a Semafor analysis found.
    — J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • With only five days remaining before the November election, top candidates on the Republican ticket rallied Thursday night in Hialeah for a final push to woo Cuban-American voters.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of woo
Noun
  • While they were never photographed together, American Pie star Tara Reid has opened up about a brief fling with Brady in 2002.
    — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 28 Oct. 2026
  • After a two-week fling and an emotional good-bye at the Bangkok airport, Lyons knew that these surreal episodes would make the foundation of her next show.
    — Georgie McKeon, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of fling
Verb
  • The spot sparked national bipartisan backlash on grounds that Acton's mother had lost custody of her children decades ago after her husband, their stepfather, was indicted for raping Acton as a child.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Grant sparked a 16-1 in the first quarter that broke the game open after the Golden Eagles cut TCU’s lead to 9-8.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of spark
Verb
  • Tre White scored 22 points while and Tyran Stokes and Leroy Blyden added 15 points apiece for the Jayhawks, who won on opening night for the sixth straight season and stretched their streak of home-opening victories to 54 games (dating to 1973-74).
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Container of shredded beef dated 10/5 present in walk-in cooler.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 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 8 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on romance

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about romance

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