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

Relevance

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
In between came a whirlwind of romances, reunions, breakups, and weddings—all punctuated by some extraordinary gems. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 28 Aug. 2026 The movie, a rare nonfiction romance, uses every tool in the documentary arsenal to make the story fly. — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 27 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
  • Renata, post-divorce from her fraudster husband Gordon, takes up motorcycle lessons and a fling with a workout instructor.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
  • 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
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
  • Nevertheless, online daters use LinkedIn as a vetting tool, with almost half of Zety’s survey respondents believing that information posted to the platform is more reliable than jobs and college attendance shown on dating apps such as Hinge.
    — Sarah Glodek, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The two start ambivalently sleeping together, and then dating each other.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 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 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on romance

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about romance

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All