Romeo and Juliet

American

noun

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

Romeo and Juliet Cultural

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

At the Capulet ball where Romeo and Juliet meet, Juliet and her mother grab microphones and sing a brief duet, presumably because Lady Capulet is played by LaChanze, a musical-theater star.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

Romeo and Juliet is being staged as a collaboration between the venue and theatre company Not Too Tame.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

His own narrative, however, fails to make Romeo and Juliet live anew as fresh characters.

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

The essay was about Romeo and Juliet, our first journey into the mind of William Shakespeare.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023