à la

American  

[ah lah, ah luh, a la] / ˈɑ lɑ, ˈɑ lə, a la /

Or a la

preposition

1. according to; in the manner of.

   a short poem à la Ogden Nash.

2. Cooking.

   1. prepared in the manner of, to the taste of, or by.

      chicken à la provençale.

   2. prepared with the ingredient of.

---

à la British  

/ a la, ɑː lɑː, æ lə /

preposition

1. in the manner or style of

2. as prepared in (a particular place) or by or for (a particular person)

---

à la Idioms  

1. Like, in the manner of, as in He hoped to break all records, à la Babe Ruth. This expression, an abbreviation of the French à la mode de (for “in the manner of”), has been used in English since the late 1500s.

---

Etymology

Origin of à la

First recorded in 1580–90; from French: short for à la mode de “in the style of”; à “at, in, to,” from Latin ad ad- ( def. ); la, feminine of le “the,” from Latin ille “that” ( alligator ( def. ) )

Example Sentences

Our A.I. future probably won’t be à la carte, and for now we’ve already ordered the whole thing.

From Slate • Feb. 10, 2026

He also has a potential surprise performance planned à la the Weeknd’s appearance in 2025, which wasn’t announced in advance.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2026

When Elizabeth writes of stepping into her gleaming kitchen to “test the crumbly brown goodness of the toasted veal cutlets à la Connecticut,” she is not so much lying as world-building.

From Salon • Dec. 25, 2025

While Williams-Sonoma offers a number of complete Thanksgiving dinners for delivery—including one featuring a Cajun-style fried turkey, and another with a honey-glazed ham—the kitchenware and gourmet-food retailer also offers dozens of à la carte offerings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 15, 2025

After some icy staring about to detect the culprit, and several smothered sniggers from around the room, the little fat friar puffed himself up once more and declaimed firmly: “Grayling à la Redwall.”

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

Related Words

• according to
• in accord with
• in accordance with
• in the manner of