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

In August 2025, the 38-year-old singer-songwriter joined forces with Carin León for the cross-cultural ballad “Lost in Translation.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

A sweet, acoustic ballad, it discusses the various types of love she's encountered in her life - from high school crushes to the love she has for her family and friends.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Mr. Prieto’s ballad “Gently Trapped” highlights the transparent beauty and elegant phrasing of his flute playing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

After posing for individual promo portraits, they gathered for a group photo before singing an acapella version of the uptempo ballad “MHM” for social content.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

He played a ballad, then a light, quick drinking song, then a slow, sad melody in a language that I didn’t recognize but suspected might be Yllish.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

The film is directed by David Ayer, a purveyor of wild action flicks and ballads of masculinity; the screenplay is the debut effort of Cameron Alexander.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

There are quieter songs — “quieter” being relative here — like one of two ballads on the record, “I Am Not Yours To Command.”

From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026

Before Ms. Parton, most female country singers cultivated staid, reserved images and achieved success with heartbreak ballads.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

In the mid-to-late 2010s, as K-pop was going global, new music sat alongside decades-old ballads on SD cards circulating in North Korea.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

The whereabouts of Franklin and his men would become one of the world’s greatest mysteries, inspiring scores of books, poems, and ballads.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

• chant
• ditty