Definition of REGALE

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Verb

Regale has been an English verb since at least 1656; it was adapted from French régaler, which has the same meaning as "regale." The French verb goes back to Middle French galer, which means "to have a good time," and to Old French gale, meaning "pleasure." (Gala, meaning "a festive celebration," is from the same source.) "Regale" also has a history as a noun meaning "a sumptuous feast." That use dates back to at least 1670, when someone penned the following notice for posterity: "My Lord Duke will not be able to get away yet…, all the regales that are intended for him not being yet at an end." (The lord referred to is the Duke of Buccleuch, whose regales ended once and for all 15 years later when he was beheaded.)

Examples of regale in a Sentence

Verb

regaled his grandchildren with stories of his time in Morocco an inn that nightly regales its guests with five-course meals prepared by a master chef

Noun

a regale to honor the retiring Supreme Court justice

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

After dinner, Longitude 131 resident astronomer will regale guests with tales of the southerly constellations. — Stuart Rigg, Town & Country, "How to Plan a Trip to Australia," 5 Oct. 2016 Two charismatic storytellers frame the show and regale guests with tales about their ancestors’ journeys to the islands. — Arthur Levine, USA TODAY, "Disney’s Hawiian resort Aulani offers a melting pot of dining options," 8 June 2018 The tone evokes a cheeky Oxford professor regaling us over a pint of stout in the pub, and Forsyth revels in his Britishisms as much as any P. G. Wodehouse character. — New York Times, "Sloshed, Hammered, Blotto — We’ve Been Doing It for Ages," 30 May 2018 Many of the 600 or so people in attendance had never met Connors, who regaled the crowd with stories from the agency’s early years. — BostonGlobe.com, "Field is narrowed to three for the 3rd annual Aurora Prize," 15 May 2018 His great-grandmother used to regale him with tales of travellers and their ways. — The Economist, "A British traveller’s travelogue," 12 July 2018 NEVER one to stick to a script, Rodrigo Duterte regales audiences with tirades, profanities and anecdotes. — The Economist, "The president of the Philippines wants to change the constitution," 28 June 2018 Despite a deluge of press regaling that June 27 opening, diners can’t just show up to buy a $6 robot burger today. — Justin Phillips, SFChronicle.com, "Six things to know about Creator, San Francisco’s new burger robot restaurant," 27 June 2018 After regaling both of them with his account of his first hole-in-one, his first shot on No. — Edward Lee, baltimoresun.com, "Towson amateur golfer enjoys two holes-in-one in 24-hour span," 13 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The notion that the adage less is more might somehow apply to Plein seems, rather, unbelievable, but for his Plein Sport Spring collection, his regale was marginally toned down—and this was a good thing. — Nick Remsen, Vogue, "Philipp Plein Serves Up a Tennis-Themed Sport Collection in Milan," 17 June 2018

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