SKIP TO CONTENT

serenade

/ˌˈsɛrəˌˈneɪd/
/ˈsɛrəneɪd/
IPA guide

Other forms: serenaded; serenades; serenading

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.

Definitions of serenade
  1. noun
    a song characteristically played outside the house of a love interest
    see moresee less
    types:
    belling, callathump, callithump, charivari, chivaree, shivaree
    a noisy mock serenade (made by banging pans and kettles) to a newly married couple
    type of:
    song, vocal
    a short musical composition with words
  2. noun
    a musical composition in several movements; has no fixed form
    synonyms: divertimento
    see moresee less
    type of:
    composition, musical composition, opus, piece, piece of music
    a musical work that has been created
  3. verb
    sing and play for somebody
    “She was serenaded by her admirers”
    see moresee less
    type of:
    do, execute, perform
    carry out or perform an action
Pronunciation
US
/ˌˈsɛrəˌˈneɪd/
UK
/ˈsɛrəneɪd/
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘serenade'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family