1
a
: a narrative composition in rhythmic verse suitable for singing
a ballad about King Arthur
b
: an art song accompanying a traditional ballad
2
: a simple song : air
3
: a popular song
especially
: a slow romantic or sentimental song
a ballad they danced to at their wedding reception
Examples of ballad in a Sentence
a haunting ballad about lost love and loneliness
Recent Examples on the Web
His expansive sonic palette includes soaring anthems, tender ballads, and hard-driving dance tracks with a focus on thumping bass and earworm melodies.
—
John Wenzel, Denver Post, 26 May 2026
The track begins almost like an acoustic ballad before corrido-like trumpets cut through, followed by spicy synths that pull the song into a completely different emotional register.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
Yet despite their cultural staying power, power ballads have historically received little scholarly attention, in part because they are often dismissed as schlocky and banal.
—Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 22 May 2026
The album’s name, Arirang, pays tribute to a treasured Korean folk ballad of the same name, which was famously the country’s first song, sung by Korean men, ever recorded (it was preserved for posterity by American ethnologist Alice Fletcher in 1896).
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ballad
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John Wenzel, Denver Post, 26 May 2026
The track begins almost like an acoustic ballad before corrido-like trumpets cut through, followed by spicy synths that pull the song into a completely different emotional register.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
Yet despite their cultural staying power, power ballads have historically received little scholarly attention, in part because they are often dismissed as schlocky and banal.
—Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 22 May 2026
The album’s name, Arirang, pays tribute to a treasured Korean folk ballad of the same name, which was famously the country’s first song, sung by Korean men, ever recorded (it was preserved for posterity by American ethnologist Alice Fletcher in 1896).
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ballad
Cite this Entry
“Ballad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballad. Accessed 28 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ballad
noun
bal·lad
ˈbal-əd 
1
: a poem that tells a story of adventure, of romance, or of a hero, that is suitable for singing, and that usually has stanzas of four lines with a rhyme on the second and fourth lines
2
: a simple song
3
: a usually slow or sentimental popular song
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