free-for-all

noun

ˈfrē-fə-ˌrȯl 

: 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

Synonyms of free-for-all

• brawl

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

Inside the free-for-all arenas of Instagram and TikTok, audiences have spent the last few weeks watching two box-office content creators engage in battle. —Kyle MacNeill, Vogue, 11 May 2026

What is usually an arcane process has become an unprecedented political free-for-all. —Cecilia Vega, CBS News, 10 May 2026

Instead of allowing this free-for-all, Illinois should create a system to manage it. —Jeremy Wolff, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026

The hearing on Thursday at Norfolk Superior Court was a bit of a free-for-all, as attorneys representing various interests all weighed in on the requests for information. —Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for free-for-all

• aerosol
• alcohol
• arbitral
• basketball
• butanol
• cannonball
• carbinol
• cortisol
• ethanol
• fireball
• gasohol
• gossypol

Kids Definition

free-for-all

noun

ˈfrē-fə-ˌrȯl

: a competition or fight open to all comers usually without rules

free-for-all adjective