dating 1 of 2

as in romance
the series of social engagements shared by a couple looking to get married their dating had been going on for so long that she was starting to wonder if she'd ever take that trip down the aisle

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dating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of date
1
as in accompanying
to go on a social engagement with I don't want to date him—I'd rather just be friends

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2
as in courting
to go on dates that may eventually lead to marriage we dated for two years before we got engaged

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dating
Noun
The paper’s conclusions will now stand for further testing through additional dating, sampling and comparative analyses as researchers seek to map how widespread and continuous the tradition truly was. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 16 Sep. 2025 Bringing a fresh perspective to the romantic comedy/drama, the movie resonated with a new generation while also attracting older females and sparking cultural conversation about modern dating and relationships. Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2025 Recent identification of calcite — a form of calcium carbonate — in the fossil eggshells suggested that the eggs would be good candidates for U-Pb dating, researchers reported Thursday in the journal Frontiers in Earth Science. Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025 In other words, double dating is pulling Gen Z to Tinder—or bringing them back. Sydney Lake, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025 Paul, the perennially viral, soft-swinging, sometimes problematic yet incredibly watchable mommy influencer turned reality star via Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is the next sweetheart looking for love on ABC’s 20-year-old dating show. Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 10 Sep. 2025 So what is mid-distance dating? Lucy Thorpe, Refinery29, 10 Sep. 2025 This leaves many users disillusioned with digital dating and pushes them toward reverse catfishing in pursuit of less performative connections. Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025 Aside from fake dating, the novel is full of beloved, albeit cheesy, rom-com tropes. Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
After Britani's announcement, Heather Gay asked her if Jared is dating other women. Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025 Robbie cradles his sleeping child; bonds with his best friend, Cliff (Raúl Castillo), during a discussion about dating and intimacy; and then carefully removes his gun from a lockbox in preparation for a violent raid. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2025 Known for his quickly burning relationship with Huda Mustafa, Brown had a relatively short stint on the reality dating show before being voted off by housemates. Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2025 Her hobbies include lusting after them, dating them, hanging out at their beach house, contemplative night-swimming in their pool, and occasionally playing volleyball. Vogue, 11 Sep. 2025 Meanwhile, a crop of fresh, fun, sexy, and most important, diverse reality dating shows began to eat The Bachelor’s lunch. Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 10 Sep. 2025 Forget the tired cougar stereotype—dating an older woman is a real fantasy that most men have had their whole lives. Linsey Hughes, Flow Space, 10 Sep. 2025 After the scandal, Paul began dating Dakota Mortensen, who appeared on Mormon Wives with her. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025 Though Leviev was still on Tinder when the documentary was released, the dating app has since banned him from the platform. Kelsie Gibson, People.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dating
Noun
  • What’s fall reading without a little hockey romance?
    Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
  • The movie, which premiered at TIFF, stars Dinklage as store manager Mitch and Kirsten Dunst as Leigh, a Toys ‘R’ Us employee who develops a romance with the fugitive.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Among those arrested at 26 Federal Plaza -- a government building that houses an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office -- were New York City Comptroller Brad Lander who was arrested at the same location in June while accompanying people to immigration court visits.
    Jack Moore, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2025
  • King Combs ended the accompanying video on an even more personal note.
    Heran Mamo, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Adcock hasn’t been shy about courting controversy.
    Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2025
  • As the fashion types begin to migrate to New York for the start of fashion week, the C-suite bigwigs were leaning in on Wall Street, courting investors at Goldman Sachs’ annual retail conference.
    Evan Clark, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Between 2011 and 2017, red hinds more often issued courtship grunts.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Sep. 2025
  • The Jalisco hat dance is a courtship dance incorporating the man’s hat, while Veracruz style dances are fast paced with technical footwork.
    Iris Sanchez, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The Hispanic population in the United States has grown rapidly in recent decades, and more Hispanic students are attending college than ever before.
    Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
  • One of Kruglov's friends, Sofia, said this was his first time attending the event, according to a statement from Burning Man.
    Megan Forrester, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dating. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.

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