ale

[ eyl ]

/ eɪl /

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See synonyms for ale on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

British. beer (def. 1).

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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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ale

ale , ail, awl

Words nearby ale

Aldrich, Aldridge, Aldridge-Brownhills, aldrin, Aldus Manutius, ale, Alea, Aleardi, aleatory, Alebion, alec

Other definitions for ale (2 of 2)

A.L.E.

abbreviation Insurance.

additional living expense.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ale in a sentence

Pour the mixture over the ice in the bowl, then top with the chilled ginger ale.
Smaller bowl, same punch: Scaling down New Year’s drinks for one or two|M. Carrie Allan|December 18, 2020|Washington Post
India pale ale, the bolder, hop-forward ale commonly referred to as IPA, leads the pack as the most in-demand style of craft beer in the country, with no sign of giving up its position.
How Hops Became the Star of American Brewing|Christopher Solomon|October 7, 2020|Outside Online
In Britain the craft beer movement began much earlier, under the slogan “Real Ale.”
Beer Countries vs. Wine Countries|Clive Irving|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lynchburg is a six-month-old German sausage and ale house in the heart of Panama's San Francisco neighborhood.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

De Mena offers me a glass of Sir Francis Drake, Casa Bruja's red ale.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
More than half of the patrons at the bar are holding glasses full of Casa Bruja's malted barley red ale.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Casa Bruja's Fula Farmacia Blond Ale sells for $1.95 at Bodega Mi Amiga.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1603 it was ordered that one quart of best ale, or two of small, should be sold for one penny.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
A traveler coming, wet and cold, into a country ale-house on the coast of Kent, found the fire completely blockaded.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
If it would rain good barrels of ale, now, sorrow would not so much mind being out in the storm.
The Battle of Hexham;|George Colman
That night Mr. Parsons visited a public house, paid for a glass of ale, and consulted the directory.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume II (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The neighbours tell one another good stories in church time, and inquire during the sermon where they can get the best ale.
A Cursory History of Swearing|Julian Sharman

British Dictionary definitions for ale

ale

/ (eɪl) /

noun

a beer fermented in an open vessel using yeasts that rise to the top of the brewCompare beer, lager 1

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

mainly British another word for beer

Word Origin for ale

Old English alu, ealu; related to Old Norse öl, Old Saxon alofat

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