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

Steinman initially envisioned the power ballad as a core piece in a musical adaptation of “Nosferatu,” but with Tyler, the number took on a different life.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 9, 2026

But a four-minute radio version took the world by storm, with the ballad spending two weeks as UK number one, and four weeks in the US.

From BBC • Jul. 9, 2026

In 2008, shortly before Oasis split up, Liam declared that he "can't stand singing that song" - the acoustically-driven ballad that launched a thousand buskers.

From BBC • Jul. 2, 2026

The album would include one of her most beloved tracks — the tender-sung piano ballad “Ay Amor!” — as well as “Esta Soledad,” which underscored an unnerving grief.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026

Lorca explained that the cante jondo was a primitive flamenco from his native Andalusia, a region enriched by Moorish invaders, and that the songs had inspired his own gypsy ballad poems.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

Related Words

• chant
• ditty