Definition of "love affair" []

• An intimate sexual relationship or episode between lovers. (noun)
• A strong enthusiasm: America's love affair with the automobile. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "YOU COULD COMPARE a certain kind of love affair to a car wreck."
• "You think a love affair is ending, and you are gripped with Anna Karenina-ish drama, but two weeks later the guy is standing in your doorway, arms stretched up on the molding, jacket hanging open, a sheepish look on his face, saying, “Hey, take me back, will ya?”"
• "As she shimmies in her sequined gown toward the spotlight to sing in her breathiest voice, “Happy Birthday, Mr. President,” her quirky sense of timing, sweet way with an innuendo, and her love affair with American celebrity and power are captured perfectly by the camera."