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
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
David Phelan, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
The Girl Who Survived casts Robillard as the 15-year-old title character, an aspiring model in 1980s Los Angeles who shockingly gets caught in the crosshairs of a dangerous serial killer.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2025
Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 3 July 2025
An invitation followed from the publishers Chapman & Hall to write a serial.
—Kirsty McHugh, Literary Hub, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for serial
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Adjective
Now, serial leaker Majin Bu, in a new interview, spotted by MacRumors, claims that the Dynamic Island is going to change.
—David Phelan, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
The Girl Who Survived casts Robillard as the 15-year-old title character, an aspiring model in 1980s Los Angeles who shockingly gets caught in the crosshairs of a dangerous serial killer.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2025
Noun
This is a classical adventure-of-the-week serial, with our ragtag group getting into one impossible scrape after another, always escaping by the skin of their teeth.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 3 July 2025
An invitation followed from the publishers Chapman & Hall to write a serial.
—Kirsty McHugh, Literary Hub, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for serial
Cite this Entry
“Serial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serial. Accessed 31 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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