serial

adjective

se·ri·al | \ ˈsir-ē-əl

Definition of serial

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : of, relating to, consisting of, or arranged in a series, rank, or row serial order

2 : appearing in successive parts or numbers a serial story

3 : belonging to a series maturing periodically rather than on a single date serial bonds

4 : of, relating to, or being music based on a series of tones in a chosen pattern without regard for traditional tonality

5a : performing a series of similar acts over a period of time a serial killer

b : occurring in or involving such a series a serial murder

6 : relating to or being a connection in a computer system in which the bits of a byte are transmitted sequentially over a single wire — compare parallel

serial

noun

Definition of serial (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : a work appearing (as in a magazine or on television) in parts at intervals

b : one part of a serial work : installment

2 : a publication (such as a newspaper or journal) issued as one of a consecutively numbered and indefinitely continued series

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Examples of serial in a Sentence

Adjective

The pictures are numbered and arranged in serial order. Scientists made serial observations over a period of two weeks.

Noun

the university library has a vast collection of serials

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The area where the scent was found matched statements that serial killer Donald Evans gave in 1994 claiming to have killed Sellers, Jones said. — Julia Fair, Cincinnati.com, "Search renewed for Kenton County boy who vanished in 1980," 4 June 2019 The first two seasons of Mr. Mercedes found Hodges (Brendan Gleeson) coming out of detective retirement to finish the biggest unsolved case of his career, involving the titular serial killer. — Christian Holub, EW.com, "See photos and behind-the-scenes video from Mr. Mercedes season 3," 4 June 2019 Mindhunter season 2 is also expected to follow the Atlanta Child Murders and serial killer Son of Sam. — Heather Finn, Good Housekeeping, "Every Question You Have About 'Mindhunter' Season 2, Answered," 9 May 2019 But for Mike—a serial entrepreneur who founded and ran a deck/gazebo-building company with 200 employees by the age of 18 and later built a successful rapid-prototyping firm (Prodigy Engineering)—the opportunity to work is a joy. — Eric Tegler, Ars Technica, "One man designed and built the ultimate bush plane," 11 Aug. 2018 Neil Senturia, a serial entrepreneur who invests in early-stage technology companies, writes weekly about entrepreneurship in San Diego. — Neil Senturia, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Why don't we heed risk warnings?," 9 July 2018 The former Google engineer and serial entrepreneur who was at the center of a trade secrets lawsuit between Uber and Waymo has made a comeback. — Polina Marinova, Fortune, "Term Sheet -- Tuesday, July 3," 3 July 2018 Huang launched his career in Silicon Valley and then returned home to become a serial entrepreneur. — Lulu Yilun Chen, Bloomberg.com, "Pinduoduo Files for $1 Billion U.S. IPO," 30 June 2018 Musk, a serial entrepreneur whose other companies build rockets and bore tunnels, has held both positions at Tesla since 2008. — David R. Baker, SFChronicle.com, "Tesla shareholders reject move to split CEO, chairman jobs," 5 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Long enough to develop an idea, short enough to focus on a single strand of plot, novellas (and serials) got the spotlight in almost every issue. — Tom Shippey, WSJ, "Science Fiction: Tomorrow’s Nightmares Start Today," 26 Apr. 2019 The book began as a serial Weir posted on his website. — Gogo Lidz, Newsweek, "Matt Damon Spills About 'The Martian'," 18 June 2015 Users can purchase individual serials, either by subscribing to a season or purchasing it all at once at the end. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Two unlikely cops are paired up to solve murders in a war-torn Tokyo in Ninth Step Station," 8 Dec. 2018 This episode of Vox’s Overrated series details the history of crossovers, from radio serials to the $200 million movies of today. — Phil Edwards, Vox, "The Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t a very good cinematic universe.," 15 Oct. 2018 The company will also be slashing 40 percent off of its serials on Black Friday. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "The best Black Friday deals for readers," 24 Nov. 2018 The company has already forged an impressive track record with serials such as Bookburners, The Witch Who Came In From The Cold, and others. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Two unlikely cops are paired up to solve murders in a war-torn Tokyo in Ninth Step Station," 8 Dec. 2018 Photo: Kino Lorber Grace Cunard played equally intrepid heroines in her popular adventure serials. — Kristin M. Jones, WSJ, "‘Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers’ Review: Highlighting a Forgotten History," 18 July 2018 By the ’30s, the image-savvy company was a household brand, sponsoring NBC radio serials (and later hiring Saul Bass, the legendary graphic designer known for his striking movie posters and credit sequences, to create its logo). — Christopher Borrelli, chicagotribune.com, "That red plastic cup is a Chicago original. Proceed to party.," 29 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'serial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.