à la
Americanpreposition
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according to; in the manner of.
a short poem à la Ogden Nash.
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Cooking.
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prepared in the manner of, to the taste of, or by.
chicken à la provençale.
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prepared with the ingredient of.
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preposition
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in the manner or style of
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as prepared in (a particular place) or by or for (a particular person)
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.
Some of the appeal is the concept’s accessibility: Fans can play a version without needing to be stranded somewhere à la “Survivor” or stuck in a house for weeks like on “Big Brother.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
At the Wumman Spa nail salon, some of Buddemeier's clients sit in the chair for hours, as nail artists build them hyper-realistic fake nails in sheer, glossy neutrals, à la Zoe Kravitz and Zendaya.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
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
Winocour’s filmmaking itself is as steely as a Parisian’s gaze after you order the last croissant à la pâtisserie.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026
He made the honor roll every semester, but unburdened by practicalities, he had daydreams about leaving school, traveling the country à la Jack Kerouac—only writing songs instead of poems.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.