1
a
: a narrative composition in rhythmic verse suitable for singing
a ballad about King Arthur
b
: an art song accompanying a traditional ballad
2
: a simple song : air
3
: a popular song
especially
: a slow romantic or sentimental song
a ballad they danced to at their wedding reception
Examples of ballad in a Sentence
a haunting ballad about lost love and loneliness
Recent Examples on the Web
The spiritual power ballad also drew 918,000 official U.S. streams in the tracking week.
—
Jim Asker, Billboard, 28 May 2025
Dropped with enough time to reach the Billboard charts before fans rush to buy and stream the full-length, the ballad sadly didn’t perform very well via any major metric.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
As Hay playfully commented, the Opry offered a stark contrast to other highbrow programs populating the airwaves, swapping symphonies and arias for jaunty renditions of old Anglo-Celtic, European and African-American ballads played on the fiddle, banjo and guitar.
—Lindsay Kusiak, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025
The singer exclaimed in surprise as confetti rained down amid his second performance, which also featured a techno remix of the sweeping ballad.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ballad
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.
Jim Asker, Billboard, 28 May 2025
Dropped with enough time to reach the Billboard charts before fans rush to buy and stream the full-length, the ballad sadly didn’t perform very well via any major metric.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
As Hay playfully commented, the Opry offered a stark contrast to other highbrow programs populating the airwaves, swapping symphonies and arias for jaunty renditions of old Anglo-Celtic, European and African-American ballads played on the fiddle, banjo and guitar.
—Lindsay Kusiak, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025
The singer exclaimed in surprise as confetti rained down amid his second performance, which also featured a techno remix of the sweeping ballad.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ballad
Cite this Entry
“Ballad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballad. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ballad
noun
bal·lad
ˈbal-əd 
1
: a poem that tells a story of adventure, of romance, or of a hero, that is suitable for singing, and that usually has stanzas of four lines with a rhyme on the second and fourth lines
2
: a simple song
3
: a usually slow or sentimental popular song
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share