ballads

noun

plural of ballad
as in songs
a short musical composition for the human voice often with instrumental accompaniment a haunting ballad about lost love and loneliness

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ballads The ballads, though, are where the trumpeter puts on his Harmon mute and things turn magical. — Natalie Weiner, Pitchfork, 19 June 2026 These songs were less detailed than the ballads but conveyed intense emotion gleaned from an often hardscrabble existence. — Ted Olson, The Conversation, 2 July 2026 These standout ballads touted a rugged lifestyle with elements of organized crime, which aided his primo’s ascent to the mainstream. — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026 Within the flashy dance numbers and power ballads, American musicals often hold up a mirror to society. — Abraham Swee, USA Today, 29 June 2026 That realization led him to a collection of honky-tonk stompers, highway ballads and intimate character studies. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 23 June 2026 Sarnoski’s film takes its title from one of those ballads, in which Robin Hood — long before there was any Maid Marian to speak of — was a mere yeoman. — ABC News, 17 June 2026 The San Jose Stage production also has the fortune of working with a terrific five-piece band, with Benjamin Belew’s music direction more effective in the rock versions than the power ballads. — David John Chávez, Mercury News, 18 June 2026 When the Black Queen’s message arrives in the Riverlands, the king consort, lil’ Oscar Tully, and their new pal Roddy the Ruin are busy reveling, making up ballads dedicated to their own derring-do. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballads
  1. songs
  2. hymns
  3. lyrics
  4. anthems
  5. vocals
Noun
  • The chants, drums and songs from Colombian supporters filled the stadium from well before kickoff.
    — Emily Curiel, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026
  • That didn’t seem to dent the energy, with spontaneous Argentinian futbol songs breaking out among scrums of fans.
    — Matias Ocner, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026
Definition of songs
Noun
  • Many American poets have written hymns and howls, declarations and outcries for this country that brims with so many people, and so many hopes, from all over the world.
    — Scott Simon, NPR, 4 July 2026
  • Transplants from the British Isles In 1776, as the nation’s founding generation proclaimed democratic ideals, music in the emerging United States consisted largely of British ballads, fiddle tunes, sea chanteys and hymns.
    — Ted Olson, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
Definition of hymns
Noun
  • The musical features a book by Jenna Clark Embrey and Molly Beach Murphy, which music and lyrics by Train, choreography by David Neumann, direction by Lorin Latarro and music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations by Brian Usifer.
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2026
  • Between Bon Jovi being home-ish from the band's Sayreville, New Jersey, roots and also back home on stage, the resonance of the lyrics were apparent on his face.
    — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 8 July 2026
Definition of lyrics
Noun
  • Meanwhile, singing anthems at England national team matches is nothing new for English supporters.
    — Amna Subhan, AJC.com, 30 June 2026
  • As the anthems played ahead of Curaçao’s first-ever World Cup match, Advocaat stood on the touchline and wiped away tears.
    — Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of anthems
Noun
  • Thanks in part to the addictive vocals of band members Adriana Flores and Bryan Ponce, the Altons were designated as one of the flagship bands for roots label Daptone Records new soul spinoff, Penrose Records.
    — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 2 July 2026
  • Under the spotlight, her sentimental vocals land softly with a crowd that’s happy to see her.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of vocals

Browse Nearby Words

ballad
ballads
ballast
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ballads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballads. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on ballads

Nglish: Translation of ballads for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tacit

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All