love affair

英 [ˈlʌv əfeə(r)]

美 [ˈlʌv əfer]

n. 风流韵事; (非夫妻间的)性关系; (对某事)极大的热情，强烈的兴趣

Collins.1

牛津词典

noun

风流韵事；（非夫妻间的）性关系
a romantic and/or sexual relationship between two people who are in love and not married to each other
（对某事）极大的热情，强烈的兴趣
great enthusiasm for sth
1. the English love affair with gardening
  英格兰人对园艺的热爱

N-COUNT 风流韵事；（非夫妻或同居情侣间的）恋爱（或性）关系
Alove affairis a romantic and usually sexual relationship between two people who love each other but who are not married or living together.
1. ...a stressful love affair with a married man.
  与一个已婚男人的痛苦婚外情
N-SING 极大的喜爱；强烈的的兴趣
If you refer to someone'slove affair withsomething, you mean that they like it a lot and are very enthusiastic about it.
1. ...the American love affair with firearms...
  美国人对枪支的癖好
2. Tom's love affair with France and most things French knew no bounds.
  汤姆对法国和大多数法国东西都无比热爱。

noun

Her 10-year love affair is about to culminate in a wedding.
她长达十年的爱情长跑终于要在婚礼中走向高潮了。
It was her first love affair, as we have said;
我们已经说过，这是她第一次的爱。
It is like my tribute to China after my forty year love affair with Chinese painting.
喜爱中国绘画四十年了，这也算是我表达的一点心意吧！
I've got enough troubles without a love affair to complicate things.
我们已经很麻烦了，还要再加上复杂的爱情事件。
She behaved very tactlessly in reminding him of their love affair.
她提醒他别忘了他俩间的恋爱关系，说得很不策略。
Spending time with him was like a teenage love affair, 'she says.
她说：和他在一起，感觉就像学生时代的恋爱一样。
His wife left him when she found out about his love affair.
当他的老婆发现他有外遇时便离开了他。
She was at rock bottom. Her long-term love affair was breaking up and so was she.
她整个人跌至了谷底。她漫长的爱情要告结束了，她也要崩溃了。
Now it seems America's love affair with the plastic doll may also be coming to an end.
如今，美国人对这个塑料娃娃的酷爱之情也似乎即将结束。
Samantha: Let's hear what the worldwide love affair with the romance novel is about, in Dateline USA.
萨曼莎：在美国报道中，让我们来听听全世界与浪漫小说的相恋吧。