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
From the M-W Editors
Examples of ale in a Sentence
The bar serves two very different ales.
Recent Examples of ale from the Web
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Using four hop varieties and three different malts, this dark ale’s roasty body is brightened by pine and citrus notes.
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A ticket to the ale fest gave the holder a chance to taste 18 3-ounce servings of craft beer – a limit of 54 ounces to ensure festival-goers drink responsibly.
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IPAs, malty brown ales on nitro, and frothy mango-wheat brews at community tables, set up amid the shiny fermentation tanks and canning line on the expansive production floor at Free Will Brewing Co. in Perkasie.
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Plenty of trends have come and gone during craft beer's short and fascinating life, especially in the realm of India pale ales.
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The hand-bottling line will be used mainly for small quantities of Belgian ales.
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When ready to drink, stir in the apricot ale and serve in highball glasses over ice, garnished with mint.
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The shattering crust (the batter, the cook proudly told me, is simply flour, water, and local ale) and fat-cut fries were worth the 15-minute wait for the made-to-order, 7-pound-50-pence gem.
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Catch a band at The Rathskeller, play bocce ball at Blind Owl Brewery or sip Sun King's farmhouse ale on those teal chairs at the new beer garden at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
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.
Origin and Etymology of ale
Middle English, from Old English ealu; akin to Old Norse ǫl ale, Lithuanian alus
ALE Defined for English Language Learners
ale
playDefinition of ale for English Language Learners
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: an alcoholic drink that is similar to beer
ALE Defined for Kids
ale
playDefinition of ale for Students
: an alcoholic drink made from malt and flavored with hops that is usually more bitter than beer
Learn More about ale
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See words that rhyme with ale Spanish Central: Translation of ale Nglish: Translation of ale for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ale for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ale
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