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romance

noun · Romance adjective · verb · Romance noun
roh-MANS/ɹoʊˈmæns/UKruh-MANS/ɹəˈmæns/

Pluralromances

Verbromances, romancing, romanced

15 meanings of romance

Practice

  1. 1
    love relationshipnouncountable or uncountable
    A close, loving relationship between two people.

    Their romance began at a friend's wedding.

    She had a short romance with a boy from the next town.

    UsageSay a romance with someone.

    Similaraffair, relationship, fling

  2. 2
    love storiesnouncountable or uncountable
    A book or film about people falling in love, or all such books and films as a type.

    My aunt only reads romance, nothing else.

    The library has a whole shelf of romance near the front door.

  3. 3
    love as idealnouncountable or uncountable
    A pure, beautiful kind of love that seems perfect.

    She still believes in true romance, the kind from fairy tales.

    My grandpa says there is not enough romance in the world anymore.

    Similarlove

  4. 4
    exciting charmnouncountable or uncountable
    An exciting or mysterious feeling that a place, thing, or way of life has.

    He loved the romance of old castles and secret passages.

    The romance of the big city pulled her away from her small town.

    UsageSay the romance of something.

    Similarglamour, mystique, allure, magic

  5. 5
    of Latin languagesadjective · Romance
    Having to do with the languages and cultures that came from Latin, like Spanish, French, and Italian.

    French, Spanish, and Italian are all Romance languages.

    If you know one Romance language, learning another is often easier.

    UsageUse a big R. For love, say romantic.

  6. 6
    court someoneverbtransitive
    To try to win someone's love.

    He romanced her with flowers and long letters.

    In this video game, you can romance any of the main characters.

    Similarcourt, woo, pursue

    Note
  7. 7
    language familynoun · Romanceuncountable
    The family of languages that came from the everyday Latin of ancient times.

    Spanish, French, and Romanian all belong to Romance, the family that grew out of Latin.

    Her class looks at how words changed in early Romance.

    Note
  8. 8
    knight storynouncountable or uncountable
    A story about exciting adventures, often involving knights, heroes, and dangerous journeys.

    The old romance tells of a knight who rides out to save a castle.

    Her favorite book is a romance about a knight's long search for a magic sword.

    Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–4, 6, 8–13

From an Old French word for the everyday language of France, as opposed to Latin. It goes back to a Latin word meaning "in the Roman language".

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

  • Romance derives from Old French romanz or romans, meaning the vernacular language of France as opposed to Latin. en.wiktionary.org
  • The Old French word derives from Latin rōmānicē, meaning 'in the Roman language'. en.wiktionary.org
Meanings 5, 7

From an Old French word for the everyday language of France, later used for all languages that came from Latin.