romance
1 of 4noun (1)
ro·mance rō-ˈman(t)s 
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
: love affair
5
capitalized : the Romance languages
romance
2 of 4verb
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 4noun (2)
: a short instrumental piece in ballad style
Romance
4 of 4adjective
Ro·mance rō-ˈman(t)s
rə-;
ˈrō-ˌman(t)s
: of, relating to, or being any of the languages developed from Latin (such as Italian, French, and Spanish)
Synonyms
Noun (1)
- affair
- affaire
- amour
- fling
- love
- love affair
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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.
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
Phrases Containing romance
Kids Definition
romance 1 of 2
noun
ro·mance rō-ˈmans
1
: an attraction or appeal to the emotions
the romance of the sea
2
: a love story
3
: a love affair
4
: an old tale of knights and noble ladies
5
: an adventure story
Romance
2 of 2adjective
Ro·mance rō-ˈmans
: relating to or being the languages (as French, Italian, and Spanish) that are descended from Latin
romances 1 of 2
noun
as in affairs
a brief romantic relationship an office romance that ended with hurt feelings on both sides Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- affairs
- flings
- affaires
- amours
- liaisons
- flirtations
- love affairs
- dalliances
- infatuations
- intrigues
- loves
- entanglements
- passions
- idylls
- attachments
- hanky-pankies
- idyls
- puppy loves
- calf-loves
romances
2 of 2verb
as in sparks
Synonyms & Similar Words
- sparks
- dates
- gallants
- courts
- woos
- escorts
- attends
- goes out
- takes out
- sees
- steps out