as in public
freely available for use or participation by all
the public library has a free-for-all lending policy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in brawl
a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people
during the play-offs, fans of the opposing teams clashed in the streets in several free-for-alls
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in jumble
a state in which everything is out of order
it was a free-for-all when the doors to the arena opened and the crowd rushed in all at once
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of free-for-all
Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
Not an orderly affair, but a free-for-all.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 26 Mar. 2026
To help the proceedings run smoothly, the justices asked their questions in order of seniority, rather than the normal free-for-all.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 25 Mar. 2026
And even then, the open seat would likely spark a larger free-for-all among ambitious Democrats — and Republicans — for the seat.
—Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for free-for-all
Noun
What used to be a sacred system of voting has become a free-for-all, fueling distrust and doubt among the public.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
Not an orderly affair, but a free-for-all.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 26 Mar. 2026
To help the proceedings run smoothly, the justices asked their questions in order of seniority, rather than the normal free-for-all.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 25 Mar. 2026
And even then, the open seat would likely spark a larger free-for-all among ambitious Democrats — and Republicans — for the seat.
—Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for free-for-all
Recent Examples of Synonyms for free-for-all
Adjective
-
Bronx Science is one of the highly competitive specialized New York City public high schools where access to a free, élite education rests on a single admissions test.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Taurus April 20 – May 20 This evening spotlights your public voice.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Lueders eventually co-founded Few and the Proud, the band that would evolve into Convicted and finally Harm’s Way, transitioning from power violence toward brawl-ready hardcore punk, with various strands of metal thrown in from one album to the next.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Jarred Cavan died of his injuries after being stabbed during a brawl just outside Milpitas High School in Santa Clara County on Tuesday afternoon.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality.—
Madison Chapman,
Outside,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But now many of those same factions are expressing open revulsion at the Iran war, rupturing relationships that were supposed to usher in a new international order.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Salty Iguana closed its Olathe space in September 2024 after having been open for 15 years.—
Jenna Thompson
April 9,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Aquarians are all about maintaining the good of the group, and rarely like to cause havoc.—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Working low to high, causing havoc on the forecheck, getting pucks back.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Then, starting Wednesday, teams can begin meeting with unrestricted free agents, with the ability to offer them contracts starting Saturday.—
Doug Feinberg,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Indiana Mabrey and Carleton are both unrestricted free agents, meaning that the expansion teams may designate them a core player (the WNBA’s equivalent to the NFL’s franchise tag), giving the team exclusive negotiating rights.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The robotic characters break free from their restaurant resting place to cause chaos in town, while the villainous Marionette pops up to possess victims for her own nefarious purposes.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Somewhere in that glorious chaos, a 17-second clip of a kid in zombie face paint became permanently lodged in your brain.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In Catholic theology, purgatory is the in-between—not heaven, not hell, but a passage of purification before something better.—
Geoff Curtis,
Fortune,
6 Apr. 2026
-
But the president needs a strategy, and the strategy is not just bomb the living hell or bomb Iran to the Stone Ages.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Free-for-all.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/free-for-all. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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