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Regale has been an English verb since the early half of the 1600s, having been adapted from the French word régaler. That word traces back to the Middle French verb galer, which means “to have a good time.” (Gala, meaning “a festive celebration,” is from the same source.) Today, regale still applies when someone is entertaining or amusing another, especially by sharing stories. Regale also sometimes functions as a noun meaning “a sumptuous feast.” An early use of the noun appears in the preface to a 1732 dramatic poem by George Granville: “An English stomach … will rise hungry from a regale of nothing but sweet-meats.”
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Examples of regale in a Sentence
Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
While some followers ask for advice on how to restore old windows, others wonder out loud about the diet (spinach smoothies) and skin-care routine (daily handstands for blood flow to the head) of the man who regales them with stories of his real-estate bets and deals around the city.
—Mark Grochowski, Curbed, 28 June 2024
Both of his parents regaled him with stories from their college basketball days.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 23 Oct. 2024
The better-resourced festivals bring in talent to regale the Academy members on hand, from the Hamptons and Woodstock to Savannah.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near regale
Cite this Entry
“Regale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regale. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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