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• ale
  ale

  noun

  a malt beverage, darker, heavier, and more bitter than beer, containing about 6 percent alcohol by volume.
• A.L.E.
  A.L.E.

  abbreviation

  additional living expense.

ale

¹ American  

[ayl] / eɪl /

noun

• ales
  plural

1. a malt beverage, darker, heavier, and more bitter than beer, containing about 6 percent alcohol by volume.

2. British. beer.

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A.L.E. ² American  

abbreviation

Insurance.

1. additional living expense.

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ale British  

/ eɪl /

noun

1. a beer fermented in an open vessel using yeasts that rise to the top of the brew Compare beer lager 1

2. (formerly) an alcoholic drink made by fermenting a cereal, esp barley, but differing from beer by being unflavoured by hops

3. another word for beer

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ales
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ale

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

Explanation

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ale ales

The brewery created the craft ale in partnership with The Assembly, which also is ProPublica’s journalistic partner in this private school endeavor, so it all felt very symbiotic.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

If you give a man a dragon, he’ll ask for a glass of ale to go with it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

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

The son would respond, “a double,” and then take his ginger ale.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026

Clarian, the owner, began filling another mug with golden ale while he spoke to the pretty young woman seated across the bar from him.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

It is known for its well-kept local ales, from Stroud Brewery and good bar banter.

From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2025

In their analysis of Belgian ales, the scientists found a clear hierarchy.

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

I believe it means the Pickled Onion owes me a few ginger ales and perhaps a chicken dinner for my suffering.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Related Words

• brew
• malt
• suds