Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for "à la"
SEE ALSO:
Slang dictionary results for à la.
Synonyms

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)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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” ( cf. alligator ( def. ))

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

We didn’t need to “change” the Constitution, I argued; rather, we needed to build, à la Shelby, more “knowledge,” better understanding, inclusion.

From Slate Aug. 3, 2026

Lawson marries frozen peas and shredded Little Gem lettuce in her version of petits pois à la française, or French-style peas.

From Salon Jul. 25, 2026

Western allies are getting off the pot about rearmament and closer tactical integration à la the U.S. and Israel.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 21, 2026

The group’s self-titled debut album came out in 1975; at the time, the band had a more ornate sound à la Genesis.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 31, 2026

Daddy didn’t ask Joe where he had been but just said, “Come on in and have some pancakes, à la Marly, Joe, all decorated with first-run Chris!”

From "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training