What does "dale" mean?
A valley, often in an otherwise hilly area.
Dale
/deu/ name, noun
name, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A valley, often in an otherwise hilly area.
- Grammar: dale is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: bottom, bottom glade, bottoms, combe.
- Useful contrasts: city, desert, hill.
- Usage evidence: Mary bought Tom a copy of "How to Win Friends and Influence People", by Dale Carnegie.
How to use "dale"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "dale" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "dale" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "dale" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "dale" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "dale" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bottom" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "dale", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A valley, often in an otherwise hilly area. British
"And we will all the pleasures prove / That hills and valleys, dales and fields, / Woods, or steepy mountain yields"
- 2 A trough or spout to carry off water, as from a pump. archaic
"The pump-dale scupper is that to which the dale leads, that conveys the water from the pumps to the side on the lower deck of large ships."
- 3 an open river valley (in a hilly area) wordnet
- 4 The sunken or grooved portion of the surface of a vinyl record.
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from Middle English for someone living in a dale.
- 2 A unisex given name transferred from the surname.; A male given name transferred from the surname.
- 3 A unisex given name transferred from the surname.; A female given name transferred from the surname.
- 4 A hamlet in Ainstable parish, Eden district, Cumbria, England (OS grid ref NY5444).
- 5 A village and community in west Pembrokeshire, Wales (OS grid ref SM8005).
Show 25 more definitions
- 6 A village in Fjaler, Vestland, Norway.
- 7 A village in Vaksdal, Vestland, Norway.
- 8 A village in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland.
- 9 A woreda in Ethiopia.
- 10 A community in Port Hope, Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada.
- 11 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Hamilton County, Illinois.
- 12 A number of places in the United States:; A township in McLean County, Illinois.
- 13 A number of places in the United States:; A town in Spencer County, Indiana.
- 14 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Boone County, Indiana.
- 15 A number of places in the United States:; A township in O'Brien County, Iowa.
- 16 A number of places in the United States:; A township in Kingman County, Kansas.
- 17 A number of places in the United States:; A former community in Tobacco Township, Gladwin County, Michigan.
- 18 A number of places in the United States:; A ghost town in Clay County, Minnesota.
- 19 A number of places in the United States:; A township in Cottonwood County, Minnesota.
- 20 A number of places in the United States:; A township in Atchison County, Missouri.
- 21 A number of places in the United States:; A ghost town in Custer County, Nebraska.
- 22 A number of places in the United States:; A hamlet in Wyoming County, New York.
- 23 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma.
- 24 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Grant County, Oregon.
- 25 A number of places in the United States:; A borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania.
- 26 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
- 27 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Beaufort County, South Carolina.
- 28 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Caldwell County, Texas.
- 29 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Tyler County, West Virginia.
- 30 A number of places in the United States:; A town and census-designated place therein, in Outagamie County, Wisconsin.
Example
"Mary bought Tom a copy of "How to Win Friends and Influence People", by Dale Carnegie."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "dale"?
Common synonyms include: bottom, bottom glade, bottoms, combe, dell, dells.
How do you use "dale" in a sentence?
Mary bought Tom a copy of "How to Win Friends and Influence People", by Dale Carnegie.
How do you pronounce "dale"?
Pronounced /deu/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English dale, from Old English dæl, from Proto-West Germanic *dal, from Proto-Germanic *dalą.
Etymology 2
Related to Low German daal or Dutch daal (“lowers, descends”) and French dalle (“trough; conduit”). Attested in English since the seventeenth century.