Romeo and Juliet

American  

noun

1. a tragedy (produced between 1591 and 1596) by Shakespeare.

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Romeo and Juliet Cultural  

1. A tragedy by William Shakespeare about two “star-crossed lovers” (see also star-crossed lovers) whose passionate love for each other ends in death because of the senseless feud between their families. The line “Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?” is well known.

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Figuratively, a “Romeo” is an amorous young man.

Example Sentences

Other close-ups are less effective—for example, those fixed on the hands and arms of Romeo and Juliet for their “balcony” interlude, where their bare limbs interact in less-than-memorable choreographic configurations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

Thompson: The masquerade ball made me think about Romeo and Juliet a lot.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2026

Sam Heughan stars in Romeo and Juliet at the RCS in 1999, alongside Alana Hood.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026

The film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, often dubbed the Romeo and Juliet of Bollywood cinema, follows Raj and Simran's love story across Europe and India, beginning on a train from King's Cross station.

From BBC • Dec. 4, 2025

At ten o’clock one winter evening in early 1935, Houseman slipped backstage at a New York production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow