love affair
noun
a romantic relationship or episode between lovers; an amour.
an active enthusiasm for something: my love affair with sailing.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
affair, love, relationship, dalliance, fling, adultery, tryst, liaison, passion, flirtation, involvement, courtship, infidelity, devotion, amour, entanglement, hanky-panky, intrigue, romance, seduction
Nearby words
- lovable,
- lovage,
- lovastatin,
- lovat,
- love,
- love apple,
- love arrows,
- love at first sight,
- love beads,
- love bird
Origin of love affair
First recorded in 1585–95
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for love affair
love affair
noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
love affair
An intimate sexual relationship, as in They had a torrid love affair many years ago. This expression dates from about 1600, when it referred merely to the experiences connected with being in love. The current sense dates from the second half of the 1800s.
A strong enthusiasm, as in We can't ignore America's love affair with the automobile. [Mid-1900s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.