battle royal

noun

-rȯi-ˈal How to pronounce battle royal (audio)
Definition of battle royalnext
as in dispute
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions the sisters had a battle royal over whose turn it was to use the family car

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of battle royal The second came when Uso won a battle royal on Raw last fall and earned the right to face CM Punk for the then-vacant World Heavyweight Championship. — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026 Another year, another round in the battle royal for streaming licenses. — Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2026 During the battle royal last week, Uso eliminated his brother Jimmy, who had been saving him throughout the match. — Fernando Quiles Jr, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025 Pearce announced that a battle royal would take place later in the night. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for battle royal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for battle royal
  1. dispute
  2. altercation
  3. quarrel
  4. controversy
  5. fight
  6. disagreement
  7. argument
  8. cross fire
Noun
  • The switch to in-person court hearings drew immediate criticism and Johnston in October 2025 agreed to reinstate an online dispute process.
    — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 17 Aug. 2026
  • President Volodymyr Zelensky formally dismissed Fedorov on July 15, citing disputes with the former commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, who himself was dismissed on July 21.
    — David Kirichenko, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of dispute
Noun
  • The two got into an altercation, and a third person intervened to help the victim.
    — Ethan Varian, Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Advertisement The altercation took place after Shakur and Knight attended Mike Tyson’s boxing match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
    — Rebecca Schneid, Time, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of altercation
Noun
  • As the quarrel escalated, the man stabbed her multiple times all over her body in the park near Eastern Parkway and Rochester Ave.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The quarrel turned physical, and one of the three men pulled a gun and shot the victim, police said.
    — Liz Miller, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of quarrel
Noun
  • There was no controversy about this New York win, a night after Pete Alonso's deep fly ball against the Yankees was ruled foul with the game tied.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Google became embroiled in a prior controversy in February 2024 after its Gemini text-to-image tool produced portrayals of racially diverse German WW2 soldiers.
    — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of controversy
Noun
  • With just four games of their regular season remaining, their challenge for the promotion play-offs seemed to be slipping away without much of a fight.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • No matter, seconds later Scott's corner threw multiple towels in the ring to stop the fight.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of fight
Noun
  • Presuit demand letters aim to resolve disagreements before a lawsuit is filed.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The disagreement centers on the ultra-rich coalition that has spent more than $100 million trying to bring down Proposition 40.
    — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of disagreement
Noun
  • The people making many of these arguments have evident wealth and social privilege.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Trailing 5-1, Webb departed with two outs in the third without argument.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of argument
Noun
  • During the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, tanker ships caught in the cross fire ended up at the bottom of the Persian Gulf, which scared off potential customers.
    — Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Unfortunately, the older teens (including Louise’s nemesis, Logan) have taken over the area for snowball fights, and the younger kids get caught in the cross fire.
    — Lillian Brown, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2024
Definition of cross fire

Browse Nearby Words

battler
battle royal
battlers
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Cite this Entry

“Battle royal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/battle%20royal. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on battle royal

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about battle royal

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