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

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

Then comes the sound, clams tossed in hot pans, cleavers pounding roast pork, a Cantonese rock ballad barely rising above the crowd.

From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026

There, she debuted “Después de Ti,” a shoegaze ballad joined by Greg Gonzalez, frontman of the indie-pop band Cigarettes After Sex; the song expressed profound grief after Karol experienced a loved one’s death.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

Next up came the second part’s “Say It’s Not You,” George Jones’s plaintive, twangy ballad about a man’s fears that his gal is being unfaithful.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

One day, as Matt was singing a Spanish ballad, his voice cracked.

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer

Dance Quest’s silent disco hike takes guests on an hourlong adventure through Griffith Park, complete with a curated playlist of bangers and ballads.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 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

Born in June 1943 in Pannaipuram, Tamil Nadu, as R Gnanathesikan, Ilaiyaraaja was raised on the folk songs and ballads sung by his father, a cardamom estate supervisor.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026

Popular throughout New England in the late 1960s for their vocal-harmony ballads and club performances, the Tavares brothers—first performing as Chubby and the Turnpikes and then as just the Turnpikes—struggled to gain national exposure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026

It must be particularly fine this year, judging from the sound of many rowdy ballads issuing from the wine cellars.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

Related Words

• chant
• ditty