serenade

1 of 2

noun

ser·​e·​nade ˌser-ə-ˈnād How to pronounce serenade (audio)
1
a
: a complimentary vocal or instrumental performance
especially : one given outdoors at night for a woman being courted
b
: a work so performed
2
: an instrumental composition in several movements, written for a small ensemble, and midway between the suite and the symphony in style

serenade

2 of 2

verb

serenaded; serenading

intransitive verb

: to play a serenade

transitive verb

: to perform a serenade in honor of
serenader noun

Examples of serenade in a Sentence

Verb He serenaded her from the garden below her window.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Cricket song rose from the grasses, from somewhere came the serenade of corncrakes and the distant snorting of a horse awakened from its slumber. Daniel Mason, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024 Brown and Davis danced to a serenade by their friend, Tony and Grammy winner Leslie Odom Jr., who was accompanied by Dr. Richard Schectman. Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
Short, 78, reached the podium first and surprised Gomez, serenading her until Martin, 79, quite literally bounced between the two of them. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 6 Jan. 2025 With an unforgivable 131-minute running time, The Kissing Booth 2 drags out Elle’s meaningless temptation by hot new transfer student Marco (Taylor Zakhar Perez), who serenades her on the beach by apparently pulling a guitar out of thin air. Josh Bell, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for serenade 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French sérénade, from Italian serenata, from sereno clear, calm (of weather), from Latin serenus serene

First Known Use

Noun

1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1668, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of serenade was in 1649

Dictionary Entries Near serenade

Cite this Entry

“Serenade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serenade. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

serenade

1 of 2 noun
ser·​e·​nade ˌser-ə-ˈnād How to pronounce serenade (audio)
: music as sung or played outdoors at night for a woman

serenade

2 of 2 verb
serenaded; serenading
: to entertain with or perform a serenade
serenader noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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