free-for-all

noun

: a competition, dispute, or fight open to all comers and usually with no rules : brawl
also : a chaotic situation resembling a free-for-all especially in lacking rules or structure
the press conference deteriorated into a free-for-all
free-for-all adjective

Examples of free-for-all in a Sentence

during the play-offs, fans of the opposing teams clashed in the streets in several free-for-alls it was a free-for-all when the doors to the arena opened and the crowd rushed in all at once
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And while my guests and I made building our board a free-for-all experience, Delp has a few ideas on really turning it into an event. Bryce Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 June 2025 In the season finale, Napoleon’s coronation banquet suddenly balloons from an intimate gathering of 500 to a near free-for-all with 5,000 attendees, leading Antonin to call in every halfway decent cook in Paris. Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 11 June 2025 The era between the start of the Clinton administration and the end of the Obama one was not a libertarian/globalist free-for-all. David Brooks, Mercury News, 31 May 2025 After that, the typical experience of ordering a burger became a culinary free-for-all. Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 29 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for free-for-all

Word History

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of free-for-all was in 1874

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Free-for-all.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free-for-all. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

free-for-all

noun
ˈfrē-fə-ˌrȯl
: a competition or fight open to all comers usually without rules
free-for-all adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on free-for-all

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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