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

In an earlier iteration of the project, DiCaprio was set to star as serial killer Dr. H.H. Holmes, but he's not yet confirmed to be acting in the Hulu series. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese are Creating a Devil in the White City Series for Hulu," 14 Feb. 2019 Everyone on this little boat but me is a lionfish serial killer. — Ben Lowy, Smithsonian, "The Lionfish Have Invaded, But a Ragtag Army of Divers and Chefs Are Fighting Back," 23 May 2018 In 1997, a young gay serial killer named Andrew Cunanan shot Versace to death there as the designer, who was fifty, was returning from his morning stroll. — Emily Nussbaum, The New Yorker, "How Ryan Murphy Became the Most Powerful Man in TV," 7 May 2018 If a serial killer really has been caught using these methods, everyone will rightly applaud. — The Economist, "Police have used genealogy to make an arrest in a murder case," 2 May 2018 American officials have pressed allies in Europe and elsewhere not to let Huawei monopolize telecommunications infrastructure, portraying the company as a serial violator of U.S. laws and global business practices. — Dov Lieber, WSJ, "Chinese Investment in Israel Raises Security Fears," 11 Feb. 2019 Not a serial murderer or a mob boss or a stick monster king? — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, ""Riverdale" Midseason Premiere's Most Shocking Moments," 17 Jan. 2019 The book, named for London's tony neighborhood, was originally published in 2016 in serial format through an app. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Downton Abbey Creator Julian Fellowes Is Working on a New Period Drama Called Belgravia," 15 Jan. 2019 The show first aired early last year on FX, and in the months since, it's become something of an awards season darling, winning multiple Emmys and earning Darren Criss a Golden Globe for his performance as serial killer Andrew Cunanan. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "How to Watch The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story," 27 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

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 But your credentials as a government serial cleaner really good. — Fox News, "Judge Jeanine: Democrats call in serial 'cleaner' Bob Mueller," 18 Aug. 2018 Each week, Serial Box app users will get a push notification containing a tiny story: no more than 150 words, drawing from the larger pool of authors who have worked on the company’s serials. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Serial Box is experimenting with super-short fiction with Microfiction Mondays," 28 June 2018 Though his presence loomed large in the world of comics, as his creations went mainstream, Lee became familiar to even those who’d never picked up a weekly serial. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Remembering Stan Lee, the Marvel Comics Legend, Dies at 95," 12 Nov. 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.