serial

adjective se·ri·al \ ˈsir-ē-əl \

|Updated on: 20 Jul 2018

Examples: serial in a Sentence

Definition of serial

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

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serially

play \ˈsir-ē-ə-lē\ adverb

See serial defined for English-language learners

See serial defined for kids

Examples of serial in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of serial from the Web

Jeremy Renner got his big break as one of America’s most infamous serial murderers: Jeffrey Dahmer.

— PEOPLE.com, "Serial Killers Who Inspired Haunting Hollywood Portrayals," 12 July 2018
The serial French champions' overriding ambition is to finally be crowned European champions, something which has also eluded Buffon in his stellar career.

— afp, chicagotribune.com, "Buffon joins PSG on one-year contract," 6 July 2018
Henry de Greffulhe treated her abysmally, openly carrying on serial affairs with dozens of women all over Paris, his footman ordered to present them with bouquets of orchids every day.

— moira hodgson, WSJ, "‘Proust’s Duchess’ Review: The Guermantes Trio," 5 July 2018
The serial killer plot in the first book particularly has that frenzied kitchen-sink feel: there is not one but two killers, targeting scores of victims over many decades.

— alice bolin, Longreads, "The Daughter as Detective," 26 June 2018
This was Colbert handing two serial self-promoters just enough rope to do his work for him.

— laura bradley, HWD, "Avenatti and Scaramucci Peddle Their Unholy Double Act on Late Show," 14 June 2018
There's her sitcom Crashing (not the Pete Holmes HBO one) is fast and funny and her serial killer drama Killing Eve is subversive, disturbing, and also somehow funny.

— tom philip, GQ, "The Best Movies/TV to Stream on Amazon Prime This July 4," 3 July 2018
For decades, the PRI functioned as a serial dictatorship, with each all-powerful president serving six years and then choosing his successor, who would win in rigged elections.

— mark stevenson, The Seattle Times, "Mexico’s ruling party seeks way forward after drubbing," 3 July 2018
Faid, 46, is an avid fan of caper films, the author of a confessional book about his life of crime — and a serial robber of banks and armored trucks.

— Fox News, "Drones buzzed French prison months before spectacular escape," 2 July 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.