battle royal

noun

variants or battle royale
plural battles royal or battle royals or battles royale or battle royales
1
a
: a fight participated in by more than two combatants
especially : one in which the last fighter in the ring or the last fighter standing is declared the winner
b
: a violent struggle
2
: a heated dispute

Examples of battle royal in a Sentence

the sisters had a battle royal over whose turn it was to use the family car
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Cargill entered the battle royal towards the end, successfully eliminating stars like Nia Jax and Becky Lynch. Joe Otterson, Variety, 20 Nov. 2024 But in an effort to remain as impartial as possible, Daniel and Johnny agree to stage a battle royal judged by a guest sensei: Mike Barnes. Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 18 July 2024 This final has the potential to be an historic battle royal and, perhaps again, a passing of the torch—Djokovic, of course, has won this trophy seven times, while Alcaraz is the defending champion. Corey Seymour, Vogue, 12 July 2024 In a 2-2-1-1 format, the ACC and Big 12 could very well receive just one bid (the AQ), because their No. 2 teams would compete annually in a battle royal for at-large berths against the Big Ten and SEC bluebloods, not to mention Notre Dame. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for battle royal 

Word History

First Known Use

1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of battle royal was in 1671

Dictionary Entries Near battle royal

Cite this Entry

“Battle royal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/battle%20royal. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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