serenade

American  

[ser-uh-neyd] / 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

Etymology

Origin of serenade

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

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

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

The rain did not dampen the spirits of a hearty and colourful band of about two dozen Zimbabwe fans, who danced and sang throughout the damp afternoon to serenade their team's qualification.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

She knew her guests had studied the music of Stephen Foster in school, so she arranged for a group to serenade them with songs like “Oh! Susanna” and “My Old Kentucky Home.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

He has a similarly commanding presence in the film, where a different kind of serenade is a key plot point for his character.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 15, 2025

And we ’ave choirs of wood nymphs, ’oo serenade us as we eat.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling