as in lovers
literary
a person with whom someone is having a romantic or sexual relationship and especially a secret or improper relationship
Her husband found a love letter from her paramour.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of paramours
During the course of the film, Grace deals with life, love (including a pair of paramours from the same band), professional disappointments, and the fallout of a horrible experience from her past.
—
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2026
Other unconfirmed paramours include A$AP Rocky, multiple NBA players, and, most recently, Bad Bunny.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
The record is filled with sexy dance-pop bangers and finds Khalid — for the first time in his career — using he/him pronouns when discussing paramours in his lyrics.
—Jeff Nelson, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Once again, the Western canon’s most famous paramours have traded soliloquies for pointe shoes.
—Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Apr. 2023
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2026
Other unconfirmed paramours include A$AP Rocky, multiple NBA players, and, most recently, Bad Bunny.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
The record is filled with sexy dance-pop bangers and finds Khalid — for the first time in his career — using he/him pronouns when discussing paramours in his lyrics.
—Jeff Nelson, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Once again, the Western canon’s most famous paramours have traded soliloquies for pointe shoes.
—Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paramours
Noun
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This cozy getaway is designed for vintage lovers and hygge seekers—and is almost guaranteed to make it onto your Instagram feed.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
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The event, which was started by the city but is now run by Red Rock 4-Wheelers, gives 4×4 lovers a chance to responsibly drive on trails through one of the most beautiful natural settings in the country.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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All the girls are now wearing little black shades and flipping their hair about maniacally with a pen in their mouth, while their boyfriends are in backwards Kangol flat-caps and riding bicycles.—
Daisy Jones,
Vogue,
26 Mar. 2026
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It's become a buzzword lobbed at bad bosses and ex-boyfriends, and leaders across the political spectrum.—
Emma Bowman,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This sparks all kinds of adverse reaction, mainly from McCarthy’s snotty pals and girlfriends, a tribe so fiercely materialistic and shallow as to make current Less Than Zero-types seem well rounded by comparison.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Mar. 2026
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Sheila started to see a lot more girlfriends and wives and get really close with them.—
Annie Heilbrunn,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Although their husbands were all friends, some of the widows knew each other prior to the crash, while others had never met.—
Brit McCandless Farmer,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
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One of her husbands was booked on the Titanic.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Essian kids grow up in extended matrilineal families, with no husbands or wives.—
Stephanie Burt,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
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So are their girlfriends and wives, who support their beaus in stadiums and at home.—
Kate Hogan,
PEOPLE,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paramours.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paramours. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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