romance

1 of 4

noun (1)

ro·​mance rō-ˈman(t)s How to pronounce romance (audio)
rə-;
ˈrō-ˌman(t)s
1
a(1)
: a medieval tale based on legend, chivalric love and adventure, or the supernatural
(2)
: a prose narrative treating imaginary characters involved in events remote in time or place and usually heroic, adventurous, or mysterious
(3)
: a love story especially in the form of a novel
b
: a class of such literature
2
: something (such as an extravagant story or account) that lacks basis in fact
3
: an emotional attraction or aura belonging to an especially heroic era, adventure, or activity
4
5
capitalized : the Romance languages

romance

2 of 4

verb

romanced; romancing

intransitive verb

1
: to exaggerate or invent detail or incident
2
: to entertain romantic thoughts or ideas

transitive verb

1
: to try to influence or curry favor with especially by lavishing personal attention, gifts, or flattery
2
: to carry on a love affair with

romance

3 of 4

noun (2)

: a short instrumental piece in ballad style

Romance

4 of 4

adjective

Ro·​mance rō-ˈman(t)s How to pronounce Romance (audio)
rə-;
ˈrō-ˌman(t)s
: of, relating to, or being any of the languages developed from Latin (such as Italian, French, and Spanish)

Examples of romance in a Sentence

Verb He was always romancing younger women. She was romanced by several wealthy young men. The museum's director spends a lot of time romancing potential donors. a college athlete who's being romanced by several pro teams They were romancing about the past.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Kelly Osbourne and Sid Wilson's romance was a slow burn. Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 The Musical' July 22-Aug. 3, 2025 Pop the champagne and enter a world of splendor, romance, glitz and grandeur at this show, the winner of 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical. The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 Kind-hearted bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster, who received his only Oscar nomination here) comes to her rescue, and a plan to extort Ordell and beat the federal charges blossoms with their romance. EW.com, 2 Mar. 2024 This prelude to their big kiss is meant to hook Part 1 into Part 2, but there’s no compelling romance, mission, or fascination that connects these characters to the dark, drab homeland. Armond White, National Review, 1 Mar. 2024 This gripping tale of the infamous 1930s bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow blends romance, drama, and violence, challenging social norms and censorship of the time. Travis Bean, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 History, romance, and colonial grandeur emanate from each of the 11 suites in the Galle Fort Hotel, a 300-year-old Dutch mansion recently restored by Sri Lankan architect Channa Daswatte. Chandrahas Choudhury, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Mar. 2024 Explore Oak Island 06 of 18 Ocracoke A cult favorite, this Outer Banks island is accessible only by boat or ferry from Hatteras and Cedar islands and has a relaxed romance imbued with salt air. Tracey Minkin, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2024 At a Michigan orchard, a woman tells her three daughters about a long-ago romance. The California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024
Verb
Loughery played a cautious shop owner named Annie who is romanced by a tough U.S. Marine drill sergeant (Webb) stationed on Parris Island in South Carolina in the Warner Bros. drama The D.I. Webb also directed and produced the movie. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2024 Both Blackwell and Presnell were romancing other people in the pods— Presnell had a connection with Jessica Vestal and Blackwell with Trevor Sova—and both were struggling with their decision. Glamour, 23 Feb. 2024 Shiro is the less savory of the two, fond of romancing rich, bored women. Alida Becker, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024 Redford also romances Katharine Ross' Etta, creating an iconic trio with Newman as tender third wheel. Ew Staff, EW.com, 4 Sep. 2023 The downside to modern courtship is that people want to push the fast-forward button from lust to love without romancing each other along the way. Marissa Evans, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024 Ahead, look at all the ladies Powell has romanced over the years. Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 27 Dec. 2023 The film, which starred Magnani as a volcanic grieving widow and Burt Lancaster as the truck driver who romances her, was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won three. Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 9 Dec. 2023 Their union lasted just eight months, and Dodi soon returned to his playboy ways, romancing high-profile actresses, models and celebrities. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'romance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English romauns, from Anglo-French romanz French, narrative in French, from Medieval Latin Romanice in a vernacular (as opposed to Latin), from Late Latin Romanus Gallo-Romance speaker (as opposed to a Frank), from Latin, Roman

Noun (2)

German Romanze & French romance, both ultimately from Spanish romance romance, ballad, from Old Occitan & Old French romanz

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

1653, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (2)

circa 1854, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of romance was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near romance

Cite this Entry

“Romance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/romance. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

romance

1 of 3 noun
ro·​mance rō-ˈman(t)s How to pronounce romance (audio)
ˈrō-ˌman(t)s
1
a
: an old tale of knights and noble ladies
b
: an adventure story
c
: a love story
2
3
: an attraction or appeal to one's feelings
the romance of the old West

romance

2 of 3 verb
romanced; romancing
1
: to have romantic thoughts or ideas
2
: to carry on a love affair with

Romance

3 of 3 adjective
Ro·​mance rō-ˈman(t)s How to pronounce Romance (audio)
ˈrō-ˌman(t)s
: of, relating to, or being the languages (as French, Italian, or Spanish) developed from Latin
Etymology

Noun

Middle English romauns "a story of adventure or legend," from early French romanz "French language, something written in French," from Latin romanice "in a vernacular (as opposed to Latin)," from Latin Romanus "Gallic Romance speaker (as opposed to a Frank)," from Romanus "Roman"

Word Origin
As the Roman Empire spread throughout Europe, the Latin language developed many dialects. In these dialects, the original Latin was changed by the native languages spoken before the conquest. These dialects were called romanz in early French and became the bases of what we call Romance languages today. Even after the fall of Rome, serious writing was done in Latin. But in what is now France, popular verse stories about knights, dragons, ghosts, and battles were written in the local dialect. Soon romanz came to mean one of these stories, and the word was borrowed into Middle English. Since many of the stories were about love affairs, romance came to mean "a love story," and then "a love affair." In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a group of poets, including Shelley, Byron, Keats, and Wordsworth, were labeled Romantic because they wrote poetry about the same kinds of things as were found in the old romances—noble love, courage, and ghostly beings.

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