ballad

American  

[bal-uhd] / ˈbæl əd /

noun

• ballads
  plural

1. any light, simple song, especially one of sentimental or romantic character, having two or more stanzas all sung to the same melody.

2. a simple narrative poem of folk origin, composed in short stanzas and adapted for singing.

3. any poem written in similar style.

4. the music for a ballad.

5. a sentimental or romantic popular song.

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ballad British  

/ ˈbæləd /

noun

1. a narrative song with a recurrent refrain

2. a narrative poem in short stanzas of popular origin, originally sung to a repeated tune

3. a slow sentimental song, esp a pop song

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ballad ¹ Cultural  

1. A simple narrative song, or a narrative poem suitable for singing. The ballad usually has a short stanza, such as:

   There are twelve months in all the year,

   As I hear many men say,

   But the merriest month in all the year

   Is the merry month of May.

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ballad ² Cultural  

1. A simple narrative song, or, alternatively, a narrative poem suitable for singing. (See under “Conventions of Written English.”)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• balladic
  adjective
• balladlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ballads
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ballad

1350–1400; Middle English balade < Middle French < Old Provençal balada dance, dancing-song, equivalent to bal ( ar ) to dance (< Late Latin ballāre; see ball ²) + -ada -ade ¹

Explanation

A ballad is a song that tells a story, and it can be dramatic, funny, or romantic. You can find ballads in a variety of musical styles, from country-western to rock n' roll. The ballad is an old musical form. Ballads are often by anonymous composers, passed down from generation to generation. You may know “The Ballad of Jesse James," about the notorious bank robber, which dates from the 1880s and has been recorded by everybody from Woody Guthrie to Springsteen. A ballad can also be a slow, romantic song, the kind of thing crooners like Johnny Mathis and Bing Crosby made famous. The word ballad comes from medieval French balade, a dancing song.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ballad ballads

On the dreamy ballad “Después de Ti,” she was joined on guitar by Greg Gonzalez of Cigarettes After Sex, reenacting their performance together from April, when Karol headlined Coachella.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

With her distinctive husky voice, tousled mane of blonde hair and black eyeliner, Tyler was instantly recognisable as the queen of the 1980s power ballad.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

“Hitch a Ride” starts as a ballad akin to the Beatles’ “Dear Prudence,” but the tempo quickly picks up, and multiple guitars come and go with an organ underneath.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

The ballad spent two weeks at UK number one and four weeks in the US.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Sam leaned against the doorjamb as the screeching song ended and a slower but equally loud ballad began.

From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau

A peak of pop excess, Raye's second full-length album is a 73-minute melodrama, sprinkled with golden age Hollywood glamour, show-stopping ballads, tongue twisting wordplay and genre smashing handbrake turns.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

Years later, after arriving in the South, she discovered it was It's Not Too Late by Green Zone, or Noksaek Jidae, a popular male duo from the 1990s, when sentimental ballads dominated Korean music charts.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

The excellent ballads “Memory Motel” and “Fool to Cry” are essential.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Boleros are ballads noted for their slow tempo and romantic lyrics accompanied by a crooning vocal style.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

He kept singing his ballads until he fell asleep.

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

Related Words

• chant
• ditty