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

Marc Jacobs got married this weekend, and the occasion attracted a slew of fashion royalty. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid Wore the Chicest Looks to Marc Jacobs's Wedding," 7 Apr. 2019 Featuring some 50 works from North American and European collections, the exhibition traces the Flemish artist’s trajectory from young man on the loose to favorite painter of European royalty. — J.s. Marcus, WSJ, "The Rubens Phenomenon," 29 Mar. 2019 From the tables of European royalty to a bag of 10 Hoodsies for $2.98 at Market Basket, the story of ice cream echoes that of the American experiment — democratization, fueled by technology, ingenuity, and mass marketing. — Linda Rodriguez Mcrobbie, BostonGlobe.com, "How ice cream made America," 30 June 2018 The scion of rock royalty continues the slow rollout of her music. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, "Frances Bean Cobain Posts Clip of Intense New Song: Listen," 13 June 2018 Despite his track record at home, however, Mr. Trump has shifted in the eyes of some Middle Eastern royalty to ally from antagonist. — Catie Edmondson, New York Times, "On Islam, Trump Takes a Different Approach at Home and Abroad," 13 June 2018 On Thursday night James arrived at Oracle in a gray shorts suit, the absurdity of it all overshadowing the man’s natural look of royalty. — Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, "Warriors’ Game 2 a vintage night at Oracle," 3 June 2018 To view stunning examples of Japanese and Chinese paintings and calligraphy once owned by royalty, visit the Museum of the Imperial Collections. — The Seattle Times, "From ancient to post-modern: Get art smart in Tokyo," 22 Oct. 2018 In addition to American political and military leadership, Andrews also handles foreign royalty, prime ministers, presidents, popes, and foreign military top brass. — Allison Barrie, Fox News, "Meet the new Air Force helicopters that can 'defy Armageddon'," 27 Sep. 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.