1
: of, relating to, consisting of, or arranged in a series, rank, or row
serial order
2
: appearing in successive parts or numbers
a serial story
3
: belonging to a series maturing periodically rather than on a single date
serial bonds
4
: of, relating to, or being music based on a series of tones in a chosen pattern without regard for traditional tonality
5
a
: performing a series of similar acts over a period of time
a serial killer
b
: occurring in or involving such a series
a serial murder
6
: relating to or being a connection in a computer system in which the bits of a byte are transmitted sequentially over a single wire compare parallel
1
a
: a work appearing (as in a magazine or on television) in parts at intervals
b
: one part of a serial work : installment
2
: a publication (such as a newspaper or journal) issued as one of a consecutively numbered and indefinitely continued series
Synonyms
Examples of serial in a Sentence
Adjective
The pictures are numbered and arranged in serial order.
Scientists made serial observations over a period of two weeks.
Noun
the university library has a vast collection of serials
Recent Examples on the Web
Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
The resulting collection includes sheet and duvet sets, a wool blanket and throw, towel sets and a cotton velour bathrobe, all trimmed with four serial bars, an instantly recognizable Thom Browne motif.
—Devorah Lev-Tov Kin Woo Ella Riley-Adams Jameson Montgomery Kurt Soller Megan O’Sullivan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The police start a serial killer hunt throughout the country as the pair continue on to find her family.
—Selena Kuznikov, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
Actor Ashton Kutcher was the witness in the murder trial of a serial killer.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 9 Apr. 2024
Officers conducting surveillance for a serial peeper at Monterey hotels arrested a 33-year-old man seen crawling onto a hotel roof to peer in windows, California police reported.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 8 Apr. 2024
In Idaho, the scheduled execution of serial killer Thomas Eugene Creech in February was halted after a medical team unsuccessfully tried eight times to establish an IV.
—CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
The Green Mile King’s 1996 serial novel follows a death row officer who begins to experience supernatural events after the arrival of a new inmate.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
This is a serial situation and he’s managed to shift the narrative.
—Mesfin Fekadu, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
Abby West, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2024
The character of Perry White is a Man of Steel fixture, first introduced in a Superman radio serial in 1940.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Mar. 2024
Amalgamating cowboy movies, samurai stories, and episodic sci-fi serials, the series feels both like a natural extension of George Lucas' early work and something completely new.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 20 Oct. 2023
The Hindi content-watching audiences watched a similar concept in the Hindi TV serial Bahu Hamari Rajni Kant which aired in 2016-17.
—Sweta Kaushal, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024
Hayes played the character of Doug Williams on the daytime serial since 1970, five years after the show’s debut.
—Variety, NBC News, 13 Jan. 2024
The cult mystery serial’s opening credits, among the most beloved in TV history, not only highlighted the property but also spotlighted the spectacular Snoqualmie Falls, which was fictitiously called White Tail Falls.
—Partner Content, Variety, 16 Jan. 2024
The claims would explode into an international scandal, with Andrade re-cast as a violent serial pedophile and Trevi his adult accomplice.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 28 Dec. 2023
The Color Purple has been adapted into two feature films, including this year’s upcoming Christmas release, a musical version, and even a BBC radio serial.
—Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 21 Dec. 2023
Adjective
Earl Tupper, the product’s namesake, was a serial inventor who used mid-century advances in plastics technology to develop the first range of airtight food containers affordable for middle-class households.
—Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
The resulting collection includes sheet and duvet sets, a wool blanket and throw, towel sets and a cotton velour bathrobe, all trimmed with four serial bars, an instantly recognizable Thom Browne motif.
—Devorah Lev-Tov Kin Woo Ella Riley-Adams Jameson Montgomery Kurt Soller Megan O’Sullivan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The police start a serial killer hunt throughout the country as the pair continue on to find her family.
—Selena Kuznikov, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
Actor Ashton Kutcher was the witness in the murder trial of a serial killer.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 9 Apr. 2024
Officers conducting surveillance for a serial peeper at Monterey hotels arrested a 33-year-old man seen crawling onto a hotel roof to peer in windows, California police reported.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 8 Apr. 2024
In Idaho, the scheduled execution of serial killer Thomas Eugene Creech in February was halted after a medical team unsuccessfully tried eight times to establish an IV.
—CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
The Green Mile King’s 1996 serial novel follows a death row officer who begins to experience supernatural events after the arrival of a new inmate.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
This is a serial situation and he’s managed to shift the narrative.
—Mesfin Fekadu, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
Seventy-two years after its start as a 15-minute radio serial, TV's longest-running soap opera aired its last episode in September 2009 — a year after the Irna Phillips creation began a new production model, which featured permanent sets and a lot of outdoor filming.
—Abby West, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2024
The character of Perry White is a Man of Steel fixture, first introduced in a Superman radio serial in 1940.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Mar. 2024
Amalgamating cowboy movies, samurai stories, and episodic sci-fi serials, the series feels both like a natural extension of George Lucas' early work and something completely new.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 20 Oct. 2023
The Hindi content-watching audiences watched a similar concept in the Hindi TV serial Bahu Hamari Rajni Kant which aired in 2016-17.
—Sweta Kaushal, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024
Hayes played the character of Doug Williams on the daytime serial since 1970, five years after the show’s debut.
—Variety, NBC News, 13 Jan. 2024
The cult mystery serial’s opening credits, among the most beloved in TV history, not only highlighted the property but also spotlighted the spectacular Snoqualmie Falls, which was fictitiously called White Tail Falls.
—Partner Content, Variety, 16 Jan. 2024
The claims would explode into an international scandal, with Andrade re-cast as a violent serial pedophile and Trevi his adult accomplice.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 28 Dec. 2023
The Color Purple has been adapted into two feature films, including this year’s upcoming Christmas release, a musical version, and even a BBC radio serial.
—Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 21 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'serial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near serial
Cite this Entry
“Serial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serial. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
serial
1 of 2 adjective
se·ri·al
ˈsir-ē-əl 
1
: consisting of or arranged in a series, rank, or row
serial order
2
: appearing in parts or numbers that follow regularly
a serial story
3
: being or relating to a connection in a computer system in which the bits of a byte are transmitted one at a time over a single wire
serial
2 of 2 noun1
: a work appearing (as in a magazine or on television) in parts at regular intervals
2
: one part of a serial work
serialist
noun
ˈsir-ē-ə-ləst
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