- a novel, movie, or genre of popular fiction in which characters fall in love or begin a romantic relationship (often used attributively): We knew it was a romance, so we were expecting a happy ending. Romance novels are popular escapist entertainment.
- a novel or other prose narrative depicting heroic or marvelous deeds, pageantry, romantic exploits, etc., usually in a historical or imaginary setting:The famous chivalric romance Ivanhoe is set in medieval England.
- the colorful world, life, or conditions depicted in such tales.
- a medieval narrative, originally one in verse and in some Romance dialect, treating the subjects of heroic chivalry and fantastic or supernatural events, often in the form of allegory.
- a baseless, made-up story, usually full of exaggeration or fanciful invention.
- feelings or demonstrations of love or desire, especially idealized love:There was no romance left in their marriage, but the partnership worked in every other regard.
- the attractive, partly imagined character or quality of something, as an era, a place, or an activity, that suggests adventure, heroism, excitement, glamour, and distance from the everyday:The romance of crossing an ocean to a new life still clung to the old immigrant steamer trunk.
- a romantic affair or experience; a love affair.
- the group of Italic Indo-European languages descended since a.d. 800 from Latin, as French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Provençal, Catalan, Rhaeto-Romanic, Sardinian, and Ladino. Abbreviations: Rom., Rom
- to invent or relate romances; indulge in fanciful or extravagant stories or daydreams.
- to think or talk romantically.
- Informal.
- to court or woo romantically; treat with ardor or chivalrousness: He's currently romancing a very attractive widow.
- to court the favor of or make overtures to; play up to: They need to romance the local business community if they expect to do business here.
- of, relating to, or noting the group of Italic Indo-European languages descended since a.d. 800 from Latin, as French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Provençal, Catalan, Rhaeto-Romanic, Sardinian, and Ladino: a Romance language.
- a short, simple melody, vocal or instrumental, of tender character.
- a short epic poem, especially a historical ballad.
- a love affair, esp an intense and happy but short-lived affair involving young people
- love, esp romantic love idealized for its purity or beauty
- a spirit of or inclination for adventure, excitement, or mystery
- a mysterious, exciting, sentimental, or nostalgic quality, esp one associated with a place
- a narrative in verse or prose, written in a vernacular language in the Middle Ages, dealing with strange and exciting adventures of chivalrous heroes
- any similar narrative work dealing with events and characters remote from ordinary life
- the literary genre represented by works of these kinds
- (in Spanish literature) a short narrative poem, usually an epic or historical ballad
- a story, novel, film, etc, dealing with love, usually in an idealized or sentimental way
- an extravagant, absurd, or fantastic account or explanation
- a lyrical song or short instrumental composition having a simple melody
- to tell, invent, or write extravagant or romantic fictions
- to tell extravagant or improbable lies
- to have romantic thoughts
- (of a couple) to indulge in romantic behaviour
- to be romantically involved with
- denoting, relating to, or belonging to the languages derived from Latin, including Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Romanian
- denoting a word borrowed from a Romance language
- this group of languages; the living languages that belong to the Italic branch of the Indo-European family
