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royalty

noun
roy·​al·​ty | \ ˈrȯi(-ə)l-tē \
plural royalties

Definition of royalty

1a : royal status or power : sovereignty
b : a right or perquisite of a sovereign (such as a percentage paid to the crown of gold or silver taken from mines)
2 : regal character or bearing : nobility
3a : persons of royal lineage
b : a person of royal rank how to address royalties— George Santayana
c : an elite class
4 : a right of jurisdiction granted to an individual or corporation by a sovereign
5a : a share of the product or profit reserved by the grantor especially of an oil or mining lease
b : a payment to an author or composer for each copy of a work sold or to an inventor for each item sold under a patent
Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about royalty

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Examples of royalty in a Sentence

It was an honor and a privilege to dine with royalty. On our wedding day, we were treated like royalty.

Recent Examples on the Web

 Sapphires are regal, and their beautiful deep blue has long been a favorite of British royalty! — Zoe Ruffner, Vogue, "What’s Your Sign? Karen Elson on Her New Birthstone Perfume Bottle Tops," 18 Jan. 2019 Federal officials and members of Congress have said for years the royalty rates were shortchanging taxpayers. — Matthew Brown, The Seattle Times, "States ask court to stop Trump from reviving US coal sales," 12 Dec. 2018 Lamar had been seeking more than $100 million in royalties. — Eriq Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, "Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine Hit With $25M Verdict at Beats Trial," 27 June 2018 So far, Biographies Vol. 2 has sold 71 Kindle copies and 55 paperbacks, which correlates to about $360 in royalties. — Nicole Dieker, Longreads, "How the Self-Publishing Industry Changed, Between My First and Second Novels," 23 June 2018 Enduro also owes the state of Wyoming $362,195 in royalties, the filing shows. — Sandra Baker, star-telegram, "Oil and gas company owned by prominent Fort Worth family files for bankruptcy | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 17 May 2018 Princess Diana, Princess Anne, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Amal Clooney (who's basically royalty in our book!) have all given birth there. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "Inside the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Where Kate Middleton Gave Birth," 5 Oct. 2018 Speaking of movies with royalty and fancy dresses, here’s the trailer for a film that looks very weird in a very different way. — Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge, "New trailers: House of Cards, Halloween, and more," 8 Sep. 2018 As a teenager, Adora Preaker had been Wind Gap royalty. — refinery29.com, "Who Is Camille's Father In Sharp Objects?," 9 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'royalty.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of royalty

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for royalty

Middle English roialte, from Anglo-French realté, roialté, from real

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Statistics for royalty

Last Updated

10 Feb 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for royalty

The first known use of royalty was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for royalty

royalty

noun

English Language Learners Definition of royalty

: members of a royal family
: an amount of money that is paid to the original creator of a product, book, or piece of music based on how many copies have been sold
: an amount of money that is paid by a mining or oil company to the owner of the land the company is using

See the full definition for royalty in the English Language Learners Dictionary

royalty

noun
roy·​al·​ty | \ ˈrȯi-əl-tē \
plural royalties

Kids Definition of royalty

1 : the status or power of a king or queen or his or her family
2 : members of the royal family of a king or queen
3 : a share of a product or profit (as of a mine) claimed by the owner for allowing another to use the property
4 : payment made to the owner of a patent or copyright for the use of it

royalty

noun
roy·​al·​ty
plural royalties

Legal Definition of royalty

1 : a right delegated (as to an individual or corporation) by a sovereign
2a : a share of the profit or product reserved by the grantor especially of an oil or mineral lease — compare overriding royalty
b : a payment made to an author or composer for each copy of a work sold or to an inventor for each article sold under a patent

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More from Merriam-Webster on royalty

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for royalty

Spanish Central: Translation of royalty

Nglish: Translation of royalty for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of royalty for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about royalty

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