battle royal

noun

variants or battle royale
plural battles royal or battle royals or battles royale or battle royales
1
a
: a fight participated in by more than two combatants
especially : one in which the last fighter in the ring or the last fighter standing is declared the winner
b
: a violent struggle
2
: a heated dispute

Examples of battle royal in a Sentence

the sisters had a battle royal over whose turn it was to use the family car
Recent Examples on the Web This final has the potential to be an historic battle royal and, perhaps again, a passing of the torch—Djokovic, of course, has won this trophy seven times, while Alcaraz is the defending champion. Corey Seymour, Vogue, 12 July 2024 In a 2-2-1-1 format, the ACC and Big 12 could very well receive just one bid (the AQ), because their No. 2 teams would compete annually in a battle royal for at-large berths against the Big Ten and SEC bluebloods, not to mention Notre Dame. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 Even the scenes featuring the most brutality — like an epic battle royal at the end and a midway face-off between enthusiastic club member Hazel (Ruby Cruz) and a monstrous high school wrestler — deliver a fresh, even empowered, take on the teen film. Elaina Patton, NBC News, 25 Aug. 2023 But this battle royal has a juicy twist: Oppenheimer is the first film Nolan has made outside of Warner Bros. since Memento way back in 2000. Vulture, 14 July 2023 See all Example Sentences for battle royal 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'battle royal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of battle royal was in 1671

Dictionary Entries Near battle royal

Cite this Entry

“Battle royal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/battle%20royal. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on battle royal

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!