love affair
Americannoun
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love affairs
plural
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a romantic relationship or episode between lovers; an amour.
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an active enthusiasm for something.
my love affair with sailing.
noun
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a romantic or sexual relationship, esp a temporary one, between two people
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a great enthusiasm or liking for something
a love affair with ballet
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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.
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A strong enthusiasm, as in We can't ignore America's love affair with the automobile . [Mid-1900s]
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of love affair
First recorded in 1585–95
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.
Whether this latest love affair with leverage in the U.S. ends the same way South Korea’s did remains to be seen.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 30, 2026
Despite its daytime-television title, the film is a sensitively drawn character study about a grownup love affair, many years later, between those two kids.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Jacqueline, from Loughton in Essex, says her "love affair" with SW19 began in 1977 through listening to matches on the radio before her first visit with family in 1984.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
“The Little Sister” grows even more intriguing once the love affair runs aground, forcing Fatima to flounder in her heartache.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
She brought the socially connected Mrs. Walter into her confidence about the love affair with Elisha.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
