serenade

American  

[ser-uh-nayd] / ˌsɛr əˈneɪd /

noun

• serenades
  plural

1. a complimentary performance of vocal or instrumental music in the open air at night, as by a lover under the window of his lady.

2. a piece of music suitable for such performance.

3. serenata.

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verb (used with or without object)

• serenades,
  present (3rd person singular)
• serenaded,
  past participle,  past
• serenading
  present participle

1. to entertain with or perform a serenade.

serenade British  

/ ˌsɛrɪˈneɪd /

noun

1. a piece of music appropriate to the evening, characteristically played outside the house of a woman

2. a piece of music indicative or suggestive of this

3. an extended composition in several movements similar to the modern suite or divertimento

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verb

1. (tr) to play a serenade for (someone)

2. (intr) to play a serenade

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• serenader
  noun
• unserenaded
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• serenades
  plural

Participles

• serenading
  present
• serenaded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• serenade
  simple
• serenades
  simple
• have serenaded
  perfect
• has serenaded
  perfect
• am serenading
  progressive
• are serenading
  progressive
• is serenading
  progressive
• have been serenading
  perfect progressive
• has been serenading
  perfect progressive

Past

• serenaded
  simple
• had serenaded
  perfect
• was serenading
  progressive
• were serenading
  progressive
• had been serenading
  perfect progressive

Future

• will serenade
  simple
• will have serenaded
  perfect
• will be serenading
  progressive
• will have been serenading
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of serenade

1640–50; < French sérénade < Italian serenata; see serenata

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Explanation

If you really want to win someone's heart, take your ukulele to his house at night and serenade him under his open window. When you serenade someone, you play or sing a song, often outdoors. In Italian, serenata means "an evening song," and the noun serenade is a tune played or sung, either for one specific person or for a larger audience, outside. It's still a serenade if you sing in the daytime, but the classic example of a serenade is a man singing below a woman's window at night. The word serenade can be both a noun — the song itself — and a verb — the act of singing or playing the song.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

serenade serenades serenaded serenading

It also found that he arranged for a singer to serenade the staffer on her birthday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

A similarly passionate serenade followed the victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1 that sent the Americans into the round of 16, a game watched by a record 33.5 million US viewers.

From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026

Snoop Dogg has asked fans to serenade him by twirling towels on his first visit to the club.

From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026

At the very least, there is every reason to ignore the stale serenade of the bank lobby that any regulation will only hurt the people we are trying to help.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2026

In neighboring yards people continued what they were doing, oblivious to the serenade.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

"She was always singing serenades at home and I was always listening. It is thanks to her that I have this taste for music and that I deeply love singing," she added.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

The holiday serenades, decorations dating back to the 1930s and a Christmas tree with more than 14,000 lights are part of the draw.

From Salon ● Mar. 10, 2026

The moment - during part of the show where Martin serenades audience members with an improvised song - went viral, and has reportedly led to at least one divorce.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2025

Bublé plays himself and serenades an audience during a beach concert.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2025

My grandfather, who had sat through the clarinet serenades as he sat through everything, aware of their significance but unconvinced of the wisdom of getting involved, now glared at his son.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Just as the players he serenaded with his calls became institutions in the sport, so did he.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

The marathon ended Sunday with Dudamel literally enthroned by, and serenaded by, Chris Martin of the band Coldplay.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

"Tonight we sing about love," he told the crowd after Treasure, before introducing the Angel Baby Cam, a segment in which fans' reactions were projected onto the giant screens as he serenaded them.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

Bieber later took the stage and serenaded his wife with his hit “One Less Lonely Girl.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

We didn’t have a tent, we just lay under the stars, nestled inside the Millers’ fluffy sleeping bags, serenaded by frogs, the fire we’d cooked the dogs on dying out by our feet.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

An elderly England fan, probably close to the age I am now, 76, was serenading a group of supporters by singing, "Geoff Hurst scores for all the goals, hallelujah!"

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

The Italian right-wing tabloid Libero published a front-page cartoon of Trump serenading Meloni with the headline “It’s love again.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026

Nevertheless, that did not stop Palace fans from serenading the Austrian and urging him to stay.

From BBC ● May 7, 2026

The entire audience joined in serenading the woman of the hour as they clapped along.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026

Casey started it with his “nice shorts” comment at the start of practice, and now he had to endure being the object of our serenading.

From "Winger" by Andrew Smith

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