ale

noun

\ ˈāl

How to pronounce ale (audio)

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Definition of ale

1 : an alcoholic beverage brewed especially by rapid fermentation from an infusion of malt with the addition of hops

2 : an English country festival at which ale is the principal beverage

Examples of ale in a Sentence

The bar serves two very different ales.

Recent Examples on the Web

Sibling Revelry Brewing will be hosting this event that fuses some of the best ales with bluesy music. — cleveland.com, "17 things to do in Cleveland the weekend of Feb. 1-4," 1 Feb. 2018 Old regulars now nurse pints of ale at the bar alongside more obsessive homesteaders, sipping the latest artisanal brew from nearby Hackney Brewery while nibbling on hand-pies filled with pig’s head and celeriac. — Jay Cheshes, WSJ, "Where to Find London’s Premium Pies," 23 Jan. 2019 Your readers are probably aware that there's pretty much two main styles of beer: lager and ale. — William Herkewitz, Popular Mechanics, "Meet The MythBusters of Making Beer," 29 June 2015 Today, there are over 300 organic Waitrose Duchy products available, including vegetables, milk, ales, and biscuits, according to the Waitrose website. — Rose Minutaglio, Marie Claire, "Why Did the Queen Call Prince Charles a Duchy Original in His 70th Birthday Speech?," 15 Nov. 2018 Top three beers: Storm Golden Cream Ale - A traditional American lawnmower beer, this golden cream ale features a medium body with a creamy palate feel. — Bailey Loosemore, The Courier-Journal, "Everything you want to know about Braxton Brewing, a craft brewery in Kentucky," 4 Mar. 2018 Marrying American whole-flower Centennial, Columbus and Simcoe hops with Maris Otter English two-row barley, the ale matches toffee malt notes with a blast of citrusy hop flavor. — Fox News, "Best American IPA beers," 30 Oct. 2015 However, the couple might not actually be the biggest ale aficionados. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "I Would Like a Pint of Beer Personally Poured by Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cambridge," 28 Feb. 2019 Driving home his preference for ales over harder liquors could have been a device to downplay the allegations that Kavanaugh was known as a heavy drinker. — Samantha Leach, Glamour, "Brett Kavanaugh Mentioned Beer 30 Times During the Senate Hearing. But Why?," 28 Sep. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ale.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for ale

ale

noun

English Language Learners Definition of ale

: an alcoholic drink that is similar to beer

See the full definition for ale in the English Language Learners Dictionary

ale

noun

\ ˈāl

\

Kids Definition of ale

: an alcoholic drink made from malt and flavored with hops that is usually more bitter than beer

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acquisitive

having a desire to acquire more things

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