Definition of REGALE

Did You Know?

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 At your next dinner party, go ahead and regale your friends with the fact that the Cooper SE does zero to 37 mph in 3.9 seconds. — Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, "The Electric Mini Cooper SE Is About More Than Just Range," 28 Jan. 2020 For two days, Giuliani filled a giant tent at Krychevsky’s, regaling audiences with tales of CrowdStrike, Burisma, and a person named Alexandra Chalupa. — The New Yorker, "Giuliani Kidnapped by Ukrainian Circus," 10 Dec. 2019 At the event on Wednesday, Farmer regaled the Oakland crowd with a discussion of the Belter gestures. — Annalee Newitz And Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "Nick Farmer knows dozens of languages, so he invented one for The Expanse," 22 Dec. 2019 Between songs, as revellers drink their schnapps, Hånsa regales them with tales of the eel’s libido-enhancing powers—how Freud missed this is not clear—and pins any blame on the falling catches on hydropower dams. — The Economist, "The mysterious life and times of eels," 18 Dec. 2019 Wilcox regaled stories of the incredible families and characters that have featured in his films, including Stella Tennant, Deborah Mitford, and Fergus Henderson. — Vogue, "Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis Hosted a Dinner to Celebrate Her Curation of Sotheby’s Jewelry Auction Last Night in London," 18 Oct. 2019 The Netflix star joked with the audience about his hatred of induction stoves, wished one fan a happy birthday via Facetime video and regaled the audience with childhood memories. — Tirion Morris, azcentral, "10 things we learned at the 2019 azcentral Wine & Food Experience," 4 Nov. 2019 In New Haven, the woman who did not quite make history regaled an exuberant crowd of several hundred Tuesday night with stories of remarkable women. — Eliza Fawcett, courant.com, "Hundreds drawn ‘to see strong women talking about strong women’ as Hillary, Chelsea Clinton promote book in New Haven," 29 Oct. 2019 Guaido is calling on Venezuelans to take to the streets for huge demonstrations. State TV shows Maduro regaling in his military might, applauding as soldiers march past, tanks roll by and fighter jets fly overhead. — Washington Post, "Maduro shows military might in Independence Day celebration," 6 July 2019 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.