as in public
freely available for use or participation by all
the public library has a free-for-all lending policy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Lauren Frayer, NPR, 25 Aug. 2025
The mode uses a free-for-all scoring system, where the goal is to knock out as many Pokémon as possible, and whoever scores the most knockouts wins the match.
—Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
In his rail-splitting young-lawyer days, Lincoln is said to have gone 300–1 in free-for-all wrestling matches against tough guys across the Midwest.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2025
But the returns free-for-all really took off with the advent of internet shopping as e-commerce companies jockeyed for shoppers’ eyeballs and their wallets.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for free-for-all
Noun
But 80 years on, performers and spectators alike say rising costs threaten the Fringe's free-for-all vibe.
—Lauren Frayer, NPR, 25 Aug. 2025
The mode uses a free-for-all scoring system, where the goal is to knock out as many Pokémon as possible, and whoever scores the most knockouts wins the match.
—Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
In his rail-splitting young-lawyer days, Lincoln is said to have gone 300–1 in free-for-all wrestling matches against tough guys across the Midwest.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2025
But the returns free-for-all really took off with the advent of internet shopping as e-commerce companies jockeyed for shoppers’ eyeballs and their wallets.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for free-for-all
Recent Examples of Synonyms for free-for-all
Adjective
-
Internationally celebrated visual artist and former Detroiter Nick Cave returned to Michigan this week for the unveiling of his first permanent public outdoor sculpture, at Grand Rapids’ Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.—
Duante Beddingfield,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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Real change happens when clinicians in this industry show up to engage with community, policy, research translation and public perception.—
Sonia Singh,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
They get wasted at a party and engage in a drunken brawl.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Big-market brawls between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees now happen yearly.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Ray’s most chaotic photograms—jumbles that push out of the frame or look like time bombs ready to explode—find echoes in his films, projected on the back walls, a show in themselves.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
-
In jumbles of old stones that, to me, are barely legible as the remains of buildings, Cocon López could see the entire timeline of old Aké and how later people interacted with and repurposed what came before.—
Lizzie Wade,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
Starks’ dream is to someday visit the Warren Occult Museum in Connecticut, which is closed to the public, but open to guests who book overnight stays at the home of late, famed ghost hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Menotti insisted on open, free-flowing attacking football; more in keeping with the spirit of Brazil and Dutch sides of the 1970s than Argentine sides of the past, who had earned a reputation for being defensive-minded and, above all else, extremely aggressive.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
And although police have uncovered networks seeking to cause havoc after the election, the fear is that authorities will not be able to expose them all.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Officials also warned of the havoc the network could have caused if left intact.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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And the longer McDavid goes without a contract extension as unrestricted free agency approaches next summer, the more the superstar’s future with the Oilers comes into question.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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In 2024, Branches was one of six nonprofits in Miami-Dade to receive $2 million in unrestricted funds from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.—
Christina Mayo,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Blame Mercury’s clash with Chiron!—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Previous attempts by activist flotillas to break the blockade have largely failed and sometimes sparked deadly clashes, including during the 2010 Gaza Freedom Flotilla raid.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Roll with the chaos as the moon and Uranus clash.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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In other words, Steve is a lot to play, and the Oscar-winner throws himself into every forlorn expression, every kindly mentoring session, every manic bit of rushing to and fro as chaos reigns around him, every stumbling step toward self-medicating into oblivion.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Free-for-all.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/free-for-all. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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