regale
Americanverb (used with object)
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regales,
present (3rd person singular)
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regaled,
past participle, past
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regaling
present participle
-
to entertain lavishly or agreeably; delight.
-
to entertain with choice food or drink.
verb (used without object)
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regales,
present (3rd person singular)
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regaled,
past participle, past
-
regaling
present participle
noun
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Rare. a sumptuous feast.
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Archaic. a choice article of food or drink.
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Archaic. refreshment.
verb
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to give delight or amusement to
he regaled them with stories of his youth
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to provide with choice or abundant food or drink
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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regalesimple
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regalessimple
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have regaledperfect
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has regaledperfect
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am regalingprogressive
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are regalingprogressive
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is regalingprogressive
-
have been regalingperfect progressive
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has been regalingperfect progressive
Past
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regaledsimple
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had regaledperfect
-
was regalingprogressive
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were regalingprogressive
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had been regalingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of regale
First recorded in 1650–60; from French régaler, derivative of régal(e), Old French rigale, derivative of gale “festivity” (with prefix of rigoler “to amuse oneself”), derivative of galer “to make merry”; see gallant
Explanation
You may have heard it said that the fastest way to a person’s heart is through his stomach. So, if you need to please or impress someone, regale them — that is, treat them to lavish food and drink. While food is a reliable way to regale someone, regale can also involve providing forms of entertainment such as music or storytelling. Regale is akin to the word gala, meaning “a festive party,” and gallant, which can mean “spirited and adventurous” (though gallant can also mean “noble and brave”). If you regale someone with a gala attended by partygoers who are gallant, in either sense of the word, everyone should have a pretty good time.
Vocabulary lists containing regale
The Martian
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Oliver Twist
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Unbroken
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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:
At the end of the hearing, committee members agreed to meet in a secure facility on Wednesday afternoon to hear Mullin regale them with his tales of daring from a decade ago.
From Slate ● Mar. 18, 2026
But first, he has to regale his teammates of the tale of getting Aaron Judge out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
Neely knew every great hole-in-the-wall breakfast and lunch joint in Los Angeles, where he would regale friends and colleagues with his infectious sense of humor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2023
In the meantime, Dottie will regale the team, the pub and pretty much anyone else within earshot with substantially exaggerated tales of Ted’s youth.
From New York Times ● May 24, 2023
She went on to regale them with stories about circus life—hanging from trapezes, leaping through flaming hoops, getting shot from cannons—until gradually Sticky cheered up, and the matter of parents was dropped.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
For four minutes every weekday morning, he regales co-hosts Gayle King, Tony Dokoupil and Nate Burleson with information on an upcoming news event or the latest pop culture trend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2024
Like characters in plays by Stephen Adly Guirgis and Mark O’Rowe, both of whom owe something to Bogosian, Royo’s narrator views it all through the lens of hilarity, and regales us accordingly.
From New York Times ● Mar. 20, 2023
Try as he might to squelch them, Joel's paternal urges rise up to meet her playfulness when she regales him with puns or teases him for his seriousness.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2023
When home, the boy regales him with stories about his new school.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2022
Dylan has hijacked the spotlight as he regales his “tale of a young man who flipped off Death” to Ethan and Arthur and gives them tips on how they can also “escape Death’s clutches.”
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
He regaled me with many wonderful stories of them during their early years on the road.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026
On a visit to Samar midway through his training, Horbenko regaled relatives with stories of his training, showing video clips from the shooting ground.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
Watson regaled the courtroom with "Leave It to Beaver"-style stories of his upbringing.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2024
Phil, she regaled attendees for nearly three hours with a set list that jumped from son jarocho to rock en español to cumbia.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2024
As we stood there holding our netting and sweating through our complete wardrobes, they regaled us with information about our soon-to-be-home, Kilanga.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
The legendary Puerto Rican MC Wisin gave Karol a breather by storming the stage and regaling his millennial fans with 2000s reggaeton burners like “Pam Pam” and “Rakata.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
Barely more than a month ago, I was regaling you all with my brave Super Bowl pick for the 2025 NFL season: the Baltimore Ravens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2025
Monday, Biden was in front of the International Association of Firefighters' annual legislative conference back in Washington regaling the audience with his accomplishments and said he was "determined to finish the job."
From Salon ● Mar. 10, 2023
Sitting APC governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, ahead of this month's vote, is certainly feeling the heat, tweeting more frequently and regaling his followers with long threads of his achievements in office.
From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2023
I could hear Aunt Kitty regaling her with tales of “dear Flora,” even though Mrs. Maroney hadn’t asked.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Definitions 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.
