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
5
a
: 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
1
a
: 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
Synonyms
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
Hazem Balousha, Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2023
Annie Wersching as Rosalind Dyer Annie Wersching played Rosalind Dyer, a serial killer and recurring antagonist in seasons 2, 3 and 5.
—Jacqueline Weiss, Peoplemag, 26 Nov. 2023
One of the director’s personal favorites, this 1943 thriller stars Joseph Cotten as a genial uncle who comes to visit his adoring family in a quiet California suburb—but is in fact a serial killer on the run.
—Peter Tonguette, WSJ, 24 Nov. 2023
His father, Sydney Ackland, was a journalist from Ireland whose serial philandering kept him largely out of his son’s life, leaving him to be raised by his mother, Ruth Izod, a maid.
—Clay Risen, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2023
Infocom's solution was to run a serial cable from their DEC-20 (where all the games were developed) to the C64 (or wherever).
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 21 Nov. 2023
During the time of Harrison's disappearance, two serial killers were abducting and murdering young women in the Phoenix area, the station reported.
—CBS News, 20 Nov. 2023
But someone else is even more upset, namely the serial killer — wearing a mask featuring the bearded face of John Carver, the Pilgrim who became the first governor of Plymouth Colony — who begins dispatching people who were at the store on that fateful night.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Nov. 2023
Thus the series simultaneously unspools two mysteries: the titular murder in the show’s present and a string of crimes in the past, as teen Darby tracks a serial killer while falling in love with her sleuthing partner.
—Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2023
Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2023
Even Saturday matinee cliffhanger serials, of which these films are in a sense the modern version, worked harder to bring generalists up to speed.
—Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
In 1996, he was cast to portray Cassadine for the serial, kicking off his soap-star career.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023
After Superman, Coates appeared wearing a very short skirt in the Republic serials Jungle Drums of Africa (1952), opposite Clayton Moore of Lone Ranger fame, and in the title role of Panther Girl of the Kongo (1954).
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Oct. 2023
Although her turn as Lois Lane never made it to the small (or big) screen, Alexander did have the honor of playing Clark Kent's leading lady on the radio serial The Adventures of Superman, which aired from 1940 to 1951.
—Grace Gavilanes, Peoplemag, 27 June 2023
Over the next two years, Gibson appeared in several other serials, as well as melodramas and Westerns.
—Elizabeth Weitzman, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2023
The Blue Beetle character has been around since before World War II, in comics, as a radio serial, on TV and in different iterations.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2023
With the onset of television, an eventuality not foreseen in the original contracts of the artists who created and appeared in the feature films, serials and shorts that made up so much of the content of the medium in the late 1940s and ’50s, calculating payments got even more complex.
—Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2023
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Adjective
What happened instead was a decade and a half of uneasy coexistence, during which Netanyahu’s serial governments and Hamas’s leaders found each other useful for their own purposes.
—Hazem Balousha, Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2023
Annie Wersching as Rosalind Dyer Annie Wersching played Rosalind Dyer, a serial killer and recurring antagonist in seasons 2, 3 and 5.
—Jacqueline Weiss, Peoplemag, 26 Nov. 2023
One of the director’s personal favorites, this 1943 thriller stars Joseph Cotten as a genial uncle who comes to visit his adoring family in a quiet California suburb—but is in fact a serial killer on the run.
—Peter Tonguette, WSJ, 24 Nov. 2023
His father, Sydney Ackland, was a journalist from Ireland whose serial philandering kept him largely out of his son’s life, leaving him to be raised by his mother, Ruth Izod, a maid.
—Clay Risen, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2023
Infocom's solution was to run a serial cable from their DEC-20 (where all the games were developed) to the C64 (or wherever).
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 21 Nov. 2023
During the time of Harrison's disappearance, two serial killers were abducting and murdering young women in the Phoenix area, the station reported.
—CBS News, 20 Nov. 2023
But someone else is even more upset, namely the serial killer — wearing a mask featuring the bearded face of John Carver, the Pilgrim who became the first governor of Plymouth Colony — who begins dispatching people who were at the store on that fateful night.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Nov. 2023
Thus the series simultaneously unspools two mysteries: the titular murder in the show’s present and a string of crimes in the past, as teen Darby tracks a serial killer while falling in love with her sleuthing partner.
—Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2023
Noun
The character has proven quite popular, appearing in comics, serials and, of course, movies and television.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2023
Even Saturday matinee cliffhanger serials, of which these films are in a sense the modern version, worked harder to bring generalists up to speed.
—Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
In 1996, he was cast to portray Cassadine for the serial, kicking off his soap-star career.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023
After Superman, Coates appeared wearing a very short skirt in the Republic serials Jungle Drums of Africa (1952), opposite Clayton Moore of Lone Ranger fame, and in the title role of Panther Girl of the Kongo (1954).
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Oct. 2023
Although her turn as Lois Lane never made it to the small (or big) screen, Alexander did have the honor of playing Clark Kent's leading lady on the radio serial The Adventures of Superman, which aired from 1940 to 1951.
—Grace Gavilanes, Peoplemag, 27 June 2023
Over the next two years, Gibson appeared in several other serials, as well as melodramas and Westerns.
—Elizabeth Weitzman, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2023
The Blue Beetle character has been around since before World War II, in comics, as a radio serial, on TV and in different iterations.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2023
With the onset of television, an eventuality not foreseen in the original contracts of the artists who created and appeared in the feature films, serials and shorts that made up so much of the content of the medium in the late 1940s and ’50s, calculating payments got even more complex.
—Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'serial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing serial
Dictionary Entries Near serial
Cite this Entry
“Serial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serial. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
serial
1 of 2 adjective
se·ri·al
ˈsir-ē-əl 
1
: consisting of or arranged in a series, rank, or row
serial order
2
: appearing in parts or numbers that follow regularly
a serial story
3
: being or relating to a connection in a computer system in which the bits of a byte are transmitted one at a time over a single wire
serial
2 of 2 noun1
: a work appearing (as in a magazine or on television) in parts at regular intervals
2
: one part of a serial work
serialist
noun
ˈsir-ē-ə-ləst
More from Merriam-Webster on serial
Nglish: Translation of serial for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of serial for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about serial
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