battle royal

noun

-rȯi-ˈal 

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

Synonyms

• altercation
• argle-bargle [chiefly British]
• argument
• argy-bargy [chiefly British]
• bicker
• brawl
• contretemps
• controversy
• cross fire
• disagreement
• dispute
• donnybrook
• falling-out
• fight
• hassle
• imbroglio
• kickup
• misunderstanding
• quarrel
• rhubarb
• row
• scrap
• set-to
• spat
• squabble
• tiff
• wrangle

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

The show is a battle royal between two classes of chefs: the elite white spoons, who are culinary masters respected for their knowledge, longevity, and pedigree; and the black spoons, talented chefs, cooks, and restaurateurs who are still on their journey to mastery and recognition. —Karen Yuan, Bon Appétit, 18 Dec. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1a