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

Rolincik was assigned a slow French ballad and was mortified when the instructor said she was doing too much.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 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

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

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

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 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

With a rollicking mix of high-energy country twang, twisty ballads and production-heavy pop hits bolstered by her crisp belt, she made the stage her own.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 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

The new Whigs record is a strong collection of material that stands solidly amongst the existing catalog of v2 Whigs albums, with big rockers, piano ballads, and tape loops neatly nestled against guitar feedback.

From Salon ● 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

Ben turns on the radio finally and finds a rock station with ballads we can sing along to.

From "Paper Towns" by John Green

Related Words

• chant
• ditty