a malt beverage, darker, heavier, and more bitter than beer, containing about 6 percent alcohol by volume.
British. beer.
First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English (e)alu (genitive ealoth ); cognate with Old Saxon alo-, Middle Dutch ale, ael, Old Norse ǫl; Lithuanian alùs, Old Church Slavonic olŭ; Finnish, Estonian olut
Ale is a particular type of beer. Ale would be a good thing to order if you ever visit a pub in Britain. Ale is yeast-fermented beer, brewed with sweet-tasting malted barley, and often with hops, to balance the sweetness with a more bitter flavor. In Britain, ale is considered to be any beer "other than lager, stout, or porter," while in the US ale is distinguished by the style of fermentation. The Old English origin of ale is ealu, "ale or beer." The Proto-Indo-European root has an implied meaning of "sorcery, magic, and intoxication."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She lists her interests as real ale, good books, the arts and music and sport - she’s a member of Glamorgan County Cricket Club and a regular at Cardiff City FC and at Cardiff Rugby.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
If your people are beer people, think versatile: an amber ale or clean lager, plus a solid N/A counterpart.Athletic makes good ones, though many skew hoppy, so keep your audience in mind.
From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2025
I took a seat beneath Singapore’s second-oldest edifice, Caldwell House, built in 1841 for a clerk to the magistrates, and in Anglo spirit, ordered fish and chips with an ale.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2025
I coughed up $15.99 for Wi-Fi—much more than most airlines charge—and $9.98 for Pringles and a can of ginger ale.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2024
The old gatehouse-keeper choked, spluttering ale over his habit.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
This was one of the first ales he made in his Overtone brewery in Glasgow.
From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026
Although these lagers can achieve foam stability similar to Belgian ales, the physics behind them vary significantly.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 29, 2025
People swapping cask ales for cappuccinos or ordering a burger and a beer via Deliveroo rather than at their local are a new threat to pubs, according to the boss of Greene King.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2025
“We’re having trouble finding Saymo, so we just keep ordering Shastas and ginger ales and hoping that he’ll roll up,” Mulaney said at the January presentation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2025
We drank ginger ales and ordered jalapeno poppers and we all danced to a country and western band while Susan’s face beamed on the late news from the TV above the bar.
From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
