Definition of "serenade" [ser•e•nade]

• Music A complimentary performance given to honor or express love for someone. (noun)
• South Atlantic U.S. See shivaree. See Regional Note at shivaree. (noun)
• Music An instrumental composition written for a small ensemble and having characteristics of the suite and the sonata. (noun)
• To perform a serenade for. (verb-transitive)
• To perform a serenade. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "But it wasn't enough to sidetrack Woods, who closed out the match at No. 17, where he made birdie after a comical serenade from a curious crow perched in"
• "It is the opposite of "serenade" - a song of the evening."
• "He is like a lover or an outlaw who wraps up his message in a serenade, which is nonsense to the sentinel, but salvation to the ear for which it is meant."